Depression: Using a Symptom Diary

If you are getting treatment for depression, you will need to tell your doctor whether your treatment is working. You may begin to feel better within 1 to 3 weeks of starting antidepressant medicine. It can take as many as 6 to 8 weeks to see more improvement.

If you have problems or concerns about your medicines, or you do not notice any improvement within 3 weeks, talk to your doctor. Antidepressant medicines have side effects that you should keep track of. Many of these side effects go away after you take the medicine for a few weeks. You can use a symptom diary to keep track of how you are responding to your treatment. This will help your doctor decide whether to change your treatment.

Symptom diary

Writing down how you feel each day is a good way to keep track of your treatment. A symptom diary can be as simple as a spiral notebook or a journal you keep on your computer. Keep track of how you feel mentally and physically. Take your diary with you when you visit your doctor. This is a sample of the questions you might answer every day in your diary:

  • Were you interested in doing your usual activities?
  • Did you feel sad or have "the blues"? How long did it last?
  • How did you sleep last night? Did you feel restless or wake up a lot? Or did you have trouble falling asleep?
  • Were you able to carry out your normal activities?
  • How was your appetite? Did you overeat? Or did you not feel like eating?
  • How did you feel about yourself? For example, did you feel like you let anyone down?
  • Did you have a hard time focusing?
  • Did you have physical symptoms, like an upset stomach or headache?