Measuring What Matters in Mental Health Care
Symptom scales are imperfect. They are also the only way to know whether anything is changing.
By Dr. Ana Sallis · Contributing Clinician
Almost every clinic in this directory administers some version of a depression or anxiety scale. Far fewer show you the results over time, and that gap is worth understanding.
The common instruments
The PHQ-9 and GAD-7 are short self-report questionnaires used almost universally. They are blunt instruments. They also detect change reasonably well when administered consistently.
Consistency beats sophistication
A clinic that runs the same nine questions every two weeks and plots the result will catch a plateau faster than one running an elaborate battery once a quarter.
Ask to see your own data
You are entitled to it. A practice that shares scores as a matter of routine is treating you as a participant rather than a recipient.
Keep sharpening the protocol.
One protocol breakdown every other Tuesday.