Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)

A 9-item self-report questionnaire for screening, diagnosing, and monitoring the severity of depression based on DSM-5 criteria. It includes a functional impairment question (item 10) not counted in the total score.

1. Little interest or pleasure in doing things

2. Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless

3. Trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleeping too much

4. Feeling tired or having little energy

5. Poor appetite or overeating

6. Feeling bad about yourself — or that you are a failure or have let yourself or your family down

7. Trouble concentrating on things, such as reading the newspaper or watching television

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

9. Thoughts that you would be better off dead, or of hurting yourself

10. If you checked off any problems, how difficult have these problems made it for you to do your work, take care of things at home, or get along with other people?

Note: A 2-item version (PHQ-2) exists for rapid depression screening in primary care. Item 10 is not scored but provides clinically useful functional impairment data.

⚠️ Suicide Risk Alert

Item 9 asks about suicidal ideation. Any score >0 on this item requires immediate suicide risk assessment, regardless of the total PHQ-9 score.

Scoring Table

Parameter	Points
Response Values	Not at all: 0 points Several days: 1 points More than half the days: 2 points Nearly every day: 3 points

Interpretation

Category	Score Range	Action
● Minimal depression	0-4	Minimal symptoms; monitoring may be sufficient.
● Mild depression	5-9	Mild depression; consider lifestyle changes and watchful waiting.
● Moderate depression	10-14	Moderate depression; consider treatment plan (psychotherapy and/or antidepressants).
● Moderately severe depression	15-19	Moderately severe depression; active treatment recommended.
● Severe depression	20-27	Severe depression; refer for urgent psychiatric evaluation and treatment.

References

The PHQ-9: validity of a brief depression severity measure. Journal of General Internal Medicine (2001). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11556941/
Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Pfizer / Kroenke et al. (2001). https://patient.info/doctor/patient-health-questionnaire-phq-9

Medical Disclaimer

This calculator is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

PHQ-9 is a screening/diagnostic aid, not a substitute for clinical judgment.
Any positive response to item 9 requires immediate suicide risk assessment.
Cultural factors may influence symptom expression and scoring.

Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)

Scoring Table

Interpretation

References

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