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's widely used because it's 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).
If you'd rather read the items as a reference table, the same nine items are listed below. This table prints cleanly for use on paper.
| # | 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're 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've been moving around more than usual | Not at all | Several days | More than half the days | Nearly every day |
| 9 | Thoughts that you'd 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's 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.
What your score does and doesn't mean
What a score does mean. It's a snapshot of how heavy your depression symptoms have been over the last two weeks, on a scale clinicians recognize. It gives you and a clinician a shared starting number, and it's useful to repeat over time to see whether symptoms are improving or worsening.
What a score doesn't mean. It isn't a diagnosis. It can't tell you why you feel the way you do, and it doesn't account for what's happening in your life, your physical health, or other conditions that can look like depression. A low score doesn't rule depression out, and a high score isn't a label you have to carry. Only a licensed clinician can diagnose, using a full evaluation.
A printable PHQ-9
To keep a paper copy or bring one to an appointment, use the Print this page button near the top, or your browser's print function (Ctrl or Cmd plus P). The reference table above lists all nine items and the four response options so the instrument can be completed and scored on paper.
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's rising over weeks, even at a lower number, is a reason to act earlier rather than later.
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 aren't 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.
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, LLC.
Reviewed by Shariq Refai, MD, MBA. Last reviewed March 15, 2026.