Table 3.

Themes derived from written comments in response to: “What other features or aspects of depression treatment would be important to you?” after completion of the conjoint task. Letters in the first column are keyed to the figure.

Theme	Examples of responses	n
Addiction	“Getting hooked on the medication”	6
	“Addiction to anti-depressants”
	“The fear of dependence”
Effectiveness	“It also depends very much which method will be more effective.”	6
	“How well the medication works: versus how well counseling works.”
Side-effects	“Long term effects of medication on other organs (i.e. kidneys, liver, stomach)”	13
	“There are a whole bunch of different anti depressants: and most of them have different side effects”
	“the medication should not leave me more incapacitated than the depression being treated”
	“Counseling can have side effects too.”
Insurance	“Cost of drugs versus counseling and if insurance covers it.”	12
	“I have awesome prescription coverage, so getting them once a month is easy for me”
	“Affordability: insurance may cover one type of treatment more than another.”
Time	“Time is always a matter”	7
	“Time: it’s such a hassle to go somewhere far away.”
	“I consider the length of treatment”
Combination treatment	“Possibly a milder medication along with counseling”	4
	“I think that counseling and medication should be combined for the greatest effect.”
Therapeutic relationship	“Reliability of the therapist & trust issues”	7
	“The personality of the doctor: their methods of treatment: beliefs...”
	“Who I would be talking to. Some people I can talk to easier than others”