The Focus Group Project
Title: Is Depression different in males and females? Patient-based guidelines for the production of sex-specific precision psychiatry
This study aims to work collaboratively with individuals with lived experience of depression (and possibly with research experience), to improve our understanding of depression, and its sex-specific aspects to guide future research that take into consideration sex differences in depression. In this study, we want to tackle these issues by developing a collaborative written document together with individuals with lived experience, through focus group discussions and written questionnaires, which would guide research and clinical practice. We hope that this joint effort will improve our understanding of depression with its sex-specific aspects and contribute to the development of implemented research designs and clinical care.
For more information, email us at focusgroups@kcl.ac.uk.
Recruitment: Open
Research/Analysis: Ongoing
Who can take part?
Age 18-65 years
Currently have a diagnosis of or have a history of depression
Have experience with the mental health care system in the UK and are willing to share your experiences/perspectives on the UK healthcare system
What’s involved?
If you are found to be eligible for the study and if you choose to take part in the project, you will be asked to join focus group discussions with a small group (with a limited capacity with a minimum number of 6 people and a maximum number of 10 people) of other individuals with lived experience of depression and with the same biological sex assigned at birth as yours.
Each session (Focus Group #1 and #2) will include a combination of focus group discussion and written questionnaires, covering demographic information, depressive symptoms, and other topics to help inform future research design. We will prioritise the focus group discussion, therefore, we may send you the written questionnaires via email to complete after the session.
The purpose of these focus groups is to brainstorm the possible reasons for differences in experiences of depression and depressive symptoms in males and females, and how we could use this information to guide future research and improve clinical practice. The focus groups will be conducted online or in person at King’s College London premises in female-only and male-only groups.
You will be invited to take part in two focus groups within the two sexes, each lasting 2-3 hours:
Focus Group #1 will explore your experience and perception of clinical care in the context of depression, and how to deliver implemented clinical care.
Focus Group #2 will explore your experience of depressive symptoms and your thoughts on how this can be applied in planning research.
The session will last approximately 2-3 hours and will take place either online on Microsoft Teams or in person within the premises of King’s College London.
What is the purpose of the project?
Major depressive disorder (MDD) (from now onwards referred to as “depression”) is one of the leading causes of disability and mortality worldwide, affecting men and women differently. For example, while women are more likely to experience depression, men are diagnosed less frequently, even when they exhibit similar symptoms. This can often lead to delays in getting the right treatment for men.
A better understanding of the symptoms specific to each biological sex assigned at birth and the differences between men and women at a biological level is very important if we want to develop more effective interventions that take into consideration sex differences. This will contribute to the development of a precision psychiatry, that is like "personalised medicine" for mental health. Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, precision psychiatry aims to tailor treatments and interventions for patients and aims to predict what will work best for each individual.
