Box 1.

Examples of Questions Used During the Focus-Group Sessions

Symptoms of MDD  – What are the five most bothersome symptoms that you have experienced?  – Which one to three symptoms had (or still have) the most significant impact on your life and the quality of your life?  – What have been some of the consequences of experiencing MDD?

Treatment of MDD  – Treatment of which symptom was the most urgent for you? Why?  – How did you know if a medication was helping with your symptoms?  – Please give us some examples of how you noticed the change/benefit of your treatment. How did you realize that the treatment had worked?  – What symptoms are the most important to have a fast relief on?  – What is your definition of “fast” symptom relief? Has this definition changed over time?  – How fast is “fast” for you? Is it an action within hours, or 2–3 days or within a week of taking a medication? Have you ever taken a medication in the past or currently that fits this definition of “fast” onset of action?  – Other than a complete cure of MDD, what specific things would you look for in an ideal treatment for MDD? What would work for you? Which benefits you would consider the most meaningful for the treatment of your MDD?