Toolkit / Depression

PHQ-9: Patient Health Questionnaire-9

Self-report, 9 items, scored 0–27, about 3 minutes

Nine-item self-report measure that maps onto the DSM criteria for major depressive episode. Used for screening, severity grading and tracking response.

Patient details for the printout optional · never saved or sent

Left blank, these print as lines to fill in by pen.

Over the last two weeks, how often has the patient been bothered by any of the following problems?

  1. 1Little interest or pleasure in doing things
  2. 2Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless
  3. 3Trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleeping too much
  4. 4Feeling tired or having little energy
  5. 5Poor appetite or overeating
  6. 6Feeling bad about yourself — or that you are a failure or have let yourself or your family down
  7. 7Trouble concentrating on things, such as reading the newspaper or watching television
  8. 8Moving 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
  9. 9Thoughts that you would be better off dead, or of hurting yourself in some way

    Item 9 is positive. Ask directly about suicidal thoughts, plans and intent, and complete a risk assessment regardless of the total score.

Interpreting the total

0–4Minimal or none
5–9Mild
10–14Moderate
15–19Moderately severe
20–27Severe

Notes

  • A total of 10 or more has good sensitivity and specificity for major depression in primary care.
  • The PHQ-9 is a screening and severity tool, not a diagnosis. Confirm with a clinical interview.

References

  1. Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JBW. The PHQ-9: validity of a brief depression severity measure. J Gen Intern Med. 2001;16(9):606–613.

Developed by Drs Spitzer, Williams, Kroenke and colleagues with an educational grant from Pfizer Inc. No permission required to reproduce, translate, display or distribute.

An educational aid for clinicians, not a substitute for clinical judgement. Scores support, but never replace, a full assessment. Your answers on this page are never stored or sent.

Spotted an error in this scale?

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