When patients start Spravato treatment, the natural goal is relief. They want fewer depressive symptoms, a more stable mood, and an end to the heaviness that brought them into care. That goal matters, and it’s the one we track most closely in the early weeks of treatment. But it’s not the only goal worth naming.
During intake, we ask a question that sometimes catches patients off guard: beyond feeling less depressed, what do you want more of? We don’t ask it as an afterthought. It’s an actual part of the treatment plan. Some answers are broad, like more energy, more patience, or more interest in things. Others are specific: wanting to cook again, wanting to feel present with their kids, or wanting to care about a hobby they used to love.
There’s a clinical reason to ask this directly. Depression narrows what feels worth pursuing. Sometimes this happens so gradually that patients stop noticing what’s missing until someone asks. Naming a positive target gives treatment somewhere concrete to point besides the absence of symptoms. Instead of just “less bad,” the goal becomes “more of this specific good thing.” It also gives patients something to notice and report back on that isn’t just a mood rating.
This doesn’t mean setting big, sweeping goals about who you’re supposed to become. It means noticing what depression took, in specific terms, and treating its return as something worth tracking. If you used to enjoy reading and haven’t picked up a book in two years, that’s worth naming. If you used to look forward to weekends with your family and now they feel like something to survive, that’s worth naming too.
We revisit these goals as your Spravato treatment progresses, alongside standard symptom measures. Sometimes patients reach their goal for reduced symptoms and are still working toward the more personal one. That gap is useful information, not a failure.
If you’re starting or continuing Spravato treatment and haven’t been asked this question yet, bring it up at your next appointment. What do you want more of?
To schedule an intake appointment at Inner Journey Healthcare, call 406-541-2012 or email connect@innerjourneyhealthcare.com.
Education only, not medical advice. Talk with a qualified provider before starting light therapy or any new treatment.
