background Symptom monitoring is a well established tool to collect information on individual risk and guide treatment decisions in the area of somatic medicine, e.g. 24-hour monitoring of blood pressure. This kind of monitoring can provide information which enables patients to take preventive actions by changing their daily routine designed to reduce illness, relapse or progression. Although daily life monitoring is widely available for many physiological outcomes, this approach remains to be extrapolated to the therapeutic context of psychiatric disorders.
aim To outline arguments of why and how momentary assessment tools may add to clinical assessment and treatment in depression.
method An overview of research findings of daily life monitoring and applications that are relevant for depressive symptomatology will be presented.
results Momentary assessment tools can be used in order to improve (self-)diagnosis, and result in an enhanced insight in symptomatology for both patient and therapist. This person-tailored assessment tool has a potential to enhance active self-management in depressive patients.
conclusion Momentary assessment tools may complement traditional care, contributing to clinical diagnosis and treatment in depression.