Depression care has its own vocabulary. Some words sound clinical, and others are everyday words used in a narrower sense, so it is easy to nod along during a visit and leave unsure what was actually decided. This glossary covers the terms that tend to appear when treatment has not produced enough relief. Think of it as a reference to bring with you, not a replacement for the explanations your clinician gives.
Terms about trying a treatment
A trial is a period during which you take a specific medicine, or use a specific therapy, for long enough to judge whether it helps. Clinicians often ask whether a trial was adequate, meaning the dose and the length of time were enough to give the treatment a fair test. A trial that ended early because of side effects still teaches the team something, and it is worth describing accurately rather than saying simply that you tried it.
Dose and duration matter because a medicine that seemed ineffective at a low amount over a few weeks may look different after a longer course at an adjusted amount. When a change is discussed, ask what the target was and how the team planned to decide whether to continue.
Washout describes the gap between stopping one medicine and starting another, allowing the first to clear from the body before the next begins. Some switches require a washout and some do not, so ask which applies to your situation.
Baseline is your starting point before a new treatment begins. Later visits compare current symptoms and functioning against that starting point, which is why a clinician may ask how you were doing before you started a medicine, even if that feels like a long time ago.
Terms about changing the plan
Switching means replacing one treatment with a different one. Augmentation means adding a second treatment to something you already take, with the aim of having the two work together. The words can blur in a busy appointment, yet they change what you take each day and how side effects get tracked, so ask directly which approach is being proposed.
Treatment-resistant is a term clinicians use when symptoms have persisted after more than one adequate attempt at standard treatment. It describes the history of what has been tried, not a permanent condition, and it often opens the door to a broader set of options than before.
Side effects are unwanted effects a treatment can cause. Some fade within days or weeks, while others are reasons to contact the clinic promptly. Tolerability is a separate idea. It describes how well you handled a treatment overall, which can differ from whether the treatment helped your mood.
Adjunct refers to a therapy or support used alongside your main treatment rather than instead of it. Talk therapy, group support, and lifestyle changes are sometimes described this way, and they can sit beside medication without being a substitute for it.
Terms about staying well and what comes next
Maintenance is the phase after symptoms have eased, when treatment continues in order to make a return of symptoms less likely. Relapse means symptoms come back during a period that was meant to be stable, while recurrence is usually used for a new episode after a genuine stretch of wellness. Clinicians choose these words carefully, so ask what each one means in your case.
A referral is a request for another professional to evaluate or treat you, often a specialist whose input the current team cannot provide. Following up on a referral is part of your job too, so ask who will send it, where it is going, and how you will hear back.
Finally, a care plan is the written or verbal summary of what you and your team agreed to do next, including what will be checked and when. Reviewing it between visits helps you notice whether the plan still fits how you are actually living.
The point of a glossary is practical. When a word does not make sense in the moment, write it down, along with the sentence it appeared in, and bring that list to your next appointment. Asking for a plain-language definition is a routine request, and most clinicians welcome it because it keeps both of you working from the same information.