Response and remission are the two main ways clinicians and researchers measure whether a depression treatment is working, and the difference matters for your care. Response usually means your symptom score on a standard scale, such as the PHQ-9, HAM-D or MADRS, has dropped by at least half from where it started. You are clearly better. Remission means the score has fallen into the range considered normal, for example a PHQ-9 below 5 or a HAM-D of 7 or less. You are essentially well, even if some mild symptoms remain.
The distinction matters because people who respond but do not remit are more likely to relapse, to keep struggling at work or in relationships, and to carry residual symptoms like poor sleep or low energy that erode quality of life. For that reason, the goal of treatment is remission, not just improvement. If a medication gets you halfway, your psychiatrist will usually adjust the dose, add a second agent, or consider a different approach rather than stop there. Clinical trials of TMS and Spravato report both figures, and you will often see response rates around 50 to 60 percent and remission rates around 30 to 40 percent in treatment-resistant populations. At Stedfast Psychiatry we track scores at each visit so you can see your trajectory and so decisions are based on numbers, not impressions.