Depression screening tools | DepressionResource

What the PHQ-9 is

The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 is a nine-item screener developed by Drs. Spitzer, Kroenke, and Williams with an educational grant from Pfizer Inc., and validated across primary care and specialty settings. It maps directly to the nine symptom criteria for major depressive disorder in the DSM. It is widely used because it is short, free, and accurate. The instrument carries the LOINC code 44249-1.

The PHQ-9 items

A score is information, not a diagnosis. Any non-zero response to item 9 is a reason for same-day clinical evaluation. Item 9 is checked before the total score is shown.

Over the last two weeks, how often have you been bothered by any of the following problems? Each item is rated on the same four-point scale: 0 (Not at all), 1 (Several days), 2 (More than half the days), 3 (Nearly every day).

Interactive PHQ-9 (optional)

Over the last two weeks, how often have you been bothered by any of the following problems? Choose one option for each item.

By using this tool you confirm that you understand it is an educational screener, not a medical diagnosis, and that any score should be discussed with a licensed clinician. Your answers stay in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent to a server, saved, or shared.

Answer all nine items to see the band.

PHQ-9 was developed by Drs. Robert L. Spitzer, Janet B.W. Williams, and Kurt Kroenke with an educational grant from Pfizer Inc. The instrument is in the public domain. Credit: Pfizer Inc.

If you would rather read the items as a reference table, the same nine items are listed below.

#	Item	0	1	2	3
1	Little interest or pleasure in doing things	Not at all	Several days	More than half the days	Nearly every day
2	Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless	Not at all	Several days	More than half the days	Nearly every day
3	Trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleeping too much	Not at all	Several days	More than half the days	Nearly every day
4	Feeling tired or having little energy	Not at all	Several days	More than half the days	Nearly every day
5	Poor appetite or overeating	Not at all	Several days	More than half the days	Nearly every day
6	Feeling bad about yourself, or that you are a failure, or have let yourself or your family down	Not at all	Several days	More than half the days	Nearly every day
7	Trouble concentrating on things, such as reading the newspaper or watching television	Not at all	Several days	More than half the days	Nearly every day
8	Moving or speaking so slowly that other people could have noticed, or being so fidgety or restless that you have been moving around more than usual	Not at all	Several days	More than half the days	Nearly every day
9	Thoughts that you would be better off dead or of hurting yourself in some way	Not at all	Several days	More than half the days	Nearly every day

A score is information, not a diagnosis. Any non-zero response to item 9 is a reason for same-day clinical evaluation.

How it is scored

Each of the nine items is scored from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day) over the past two weeks. The total ranges from 0 to 27.

Score	Severity
0 to 4	None to minimal
5 to 9	Mild
10 to 14	Moderate
15 to 19	Moderately severe
20 to 27	Severe

Item 9 asks specifically about thoughts of being better off dead or of hurting oneself. Item 9 was designed to flag possible suicide risk for follow-up, not to diagnose suicidality on its own. Any non-zero response on item 9 is a reason for same-day clinical follow-up using a more detailed assessment tool, such as the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) or the Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ). If a person scoring item 9 has a plan or intent, call 988 or go to an emergency department.

Other tools clinicians use

GAD-7 for anxiety, often used alongside the PHQ-9.
MDQ (Mood Disorder Questionnaire) when bipolar disorder is being considered.
Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) during pregnancy and after birth.
PHQ-A for adolescents.
Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) for older adults.

About this interactive PHQ-9

The form above is a convenience for readers who want to walk through the nine items themselves. It runs entirely in your browser. Your answers are not stored, not sent to any server, and not shared with anyone, including the publisher of this site. Refreshing or closing the page clears the form. The PHQ-9 is freely available from many sources, including Phqscreeners.com and the American Psychological Association. The instrument is in the public domain.

PHQ-9 credit: developed by Drs. Robert L. Spitzer, Janet B.W. Williams, and Kurt Kroenke with an educational grant from Pfizer Inc.

When to bring a PHQ-9 score to a clinician

Any score of 10 or higher is a reason to talk to a clinician. Any non-zero response on item 9 is a reason for same-day care. A score that is rising over weeks, even at a lower number, is a reason to act earlier rather than later.

Sources

Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JBW. The PHQ-9: validity of a brief depression severity measure. J Gen Intern Med. 2001.
USPSTF: Screening for Depression in Adults, 2023 update.
LOINC code 44249-1, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 panel.

For anxiety-specific information, see our sister publication AnxietyResource.org, which is edited by the same physician reviewer and published by shrinkMD Publishing Inc.

Frequently asked questions

What is the PHQ-9?

The PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) is a nine-item depression screen used in primary care, mental health clinics, and research. Each item is scored 0 to 3, for a total of 0 to 27. Scores of 5, 10, 15, and 20 represent mild, moderate, moderately severe, and severe depression. The PHQ-9 is a screen, not a diagnosis.

Does the USPSTF recommend depression screening?

Yes. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening for depression in the general adult population, including pregnant and postpartum people. The USPSTF gave this a Grade B recommendation, meaning there is moderate certainty of moderate net benefit.

What does my PHQ-9 score mean?

A score of 5 to 9 suggests mild depression. 10 to 14 suggests moderate depression. 15 to 19 suggests moderately severe depression. 20 or higher suggests severe depression. A positive score is a reason to talk to a clinician for a full evaluation, not a diagnosis on its own.

What is the GAD-7?

The GAD-7 (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7) is a seven-item anxiety screen often paired with the PHQ-9. The same scoring scale (0 to 21) flags mild, moderate, and severe anxiety at thresholds of 5, 10, and 15. Many depression evaluations include both.

What about screening tools for postpartum depression?

The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is the most widely used screen during pregnancy and the postpartum period. ACOG and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend screening at least once during the perinatal period, with many practices screening at every prenatal visit and at well-child visits during the first postpartum year.

Reviewed by Shariq Refai, MD, MBA. Last reviewed March 15, 2026.