Figure 1.

Modified Delphi methodology. Three rounds of surveys were conducted to reach a consensus on a total of 27 items. Items that were reformulated may have been summarized into a single item or reworded as multiple items for improved clarity. *Grip strength, neuroticism, personality traits, social inhibition, body mass index, age, height, and biomarkers questions were excluded given low approval ratings by experts and lack of current literature support. HAM‐D‐24 was excluded given preference for the HAM‐D‐17. ^#Items #2–4 (melancholic features, atypical features, number of stressful life events), #6–14 (various depression and comorbidity scales), #18 (having both dichotomous and dimensional definitions), and #22 (definition to include psychotherapy) were excluded given low approval ratings by experts. ^&Items #2 and #3 (recommendation of a clinical staging tool) were excluded given low approval ratings by experts. HAM‐D, Hamilton depression rating scale