Toward a Genuinely Patient-Centered Metric of Depression Recovery: One Step Further

To the Editor Although remission from major depressive disorder implies both symptom resolution and return to normal levels of functionality, it is usually merely assessed with symptomatic rating scales.¹ In line with other efforts of going beyond this prevailing, nearly exclusive focus on symptom resolution, Cohen and colleagues² have developed a more accurate, holistic, and patient-reported metric of recovery, which encompasses depressive symptom severity, functioning, and quality of life. Cohen and colleagues have elegantly demonstrated that the Individual Burden of Illness Index for Depression (IBI-D)³ is a useful index in evaluating treatment efficacy and recovery in major depressive disorder.²