Table 2.
Ranking of the nine items of the PHQ-9 depressive symptomatology outcome dimension in terms of their importance in defining cure from depression according to GPs and psychiatrists
| Rank | Psychiatrists | Mean score | GPs | Mean score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Little interest or pleasure in doing things | 4.52 | Little interest or pleasure in doing things | 4.39 |
| 2 | Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless | 4.43 | Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless | 4.25 |
| 3 | Thoughts that you would be better off dead or of hurting yourself in some way | 4.18 | Thoughts that you would be better off dead or of hurting yourself in some way | 4.07 |
| 4 | Trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleeping too much | 4.09 | Feeling bad about yourself, or that you are failure, or have let yourself or your family down | 4.00 |
| 5 | Feeling tired or having little energy | 4.03 | Trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleeping too much | 3.99 |
| 6 | Feeling bad about yourself, or that you are failure, or have let yourself or your family down | 3.96 | Feeling tired or having little energy | 3.93 |
| 7 | Trouble concentrating on things | 3.96 | Trouble concentrating on things | 3.67 |
| 8 | Moving or speaking so slowly that other people could have noticed Or the opposite - being so fidgety or restless that you have been moving around a lot more than usual | 3.66 | Poor appetite or overeating | 3.25 |
| 9 | Poor appetite or overeating | 3.54 | Moving or speaking so slowly that other people could have noticed Or the opposite - being so fidgety or restless that you have been moving around a lot more than usual | 3.17 |
GPs, general practitioner.
Physicians were asked to rank the importance of each item from 1 to 5, with 5 indicating greatest importance.