Antidepressants are one of the main treatment approaches for depression, and previous evidence suggests that consideration of patient preferences can improve their adherence to medication regimens. The objective was, therefore, to evaluate the preferences of depressed and depression-prone groups in China with respect to antidepressant medications.

An online survey with best-worst scaling choices was administered in depressed and depression-prone patients. The balanced independent block design generated 13 choice task profiles for each participant to answer, with each choice set consisting of four alternatives out of 13 antidepressant-specific attributes. Count analysis and a conditional logit model were used to estimate the relative importance of the 13 attributes and preference heterogeneity.

The analytical sample included 210 participants, comprising 49 individuals who had previous experience with depression and 161 who were depression prone. Participants in both groups preferred medications with a low risk of liver or kidney damage, headache or dizziness, and recurrence. There were significant differences in both groups regarding out-of-pocket costs and duration of medication. The K-means clustering further proved preference heterogeneity among the patients.

Our study revealed patient preferences for antidepressant medication choices in China. Healthcare decision makers should consider and discuss patient preferences in the treatment decision-making process to improve patient adherence to and satisfaction with medications, and to ultimately improve patient outcomes.