How to Turn Symptoms into Something a Clinician Can Use

The goal is not to arrive with a diagnosis. It is to arrive with a record clear enough that the conversation can move past whether something is happening.

• Record daily, briefly. Two minutes beats a perfect entry once a week.
• Note the date, the symptom, its intensity, and what else was true that day.
• Track sleep separately from mood — they move together but are not the same.
• Bring a summary, not a diary. One page, ordered by date.
• Write your three questions before you go, and ask them first.

Pattern is the thing that survives a short appointment.