Table 2.

Inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Inclusion criteria	Exclusion criteria
Design: Empirical study investigating causal beliefs with respect to depression (original research)	Case studies concerning a single or very few individuals, reviews, narrative accounts
	Publications not presenting original research
Participants: Lay-people including patients and their relatives, single or multiple cultural groups	Studies on causal beliefs with respect to mental distress or mental disorders in general
Method: Systematic assessment of causal beliefs through interviews following a protocol or standardized questionnaires	Studies with mental health professionals: e.g., physicians, psychiatrists, nurses, healers
Results: Presentation of quantitative results on causal beliefs: rating or ranking of importance of causes or percentage of persons endorsing each causal factor	Studies presenting qualitative results only, i.e., lists of potential causes without further quantitative information
	Studies presenting incomplete quantitative results