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.

Demyttenaere et al. BMC Psychiatry 2011 11:169   doi:10.1186/1471-244X-11-169