The PHQ-9 asks about 9 common symptoms of depression over the last 2 weeks. Doctors and psychologists around the world use it to check for depression and track how it changes.
- One question per screen. Tap an answer to move on (or use the number keys on a keyboard).
- Your score, what it means, and the next step, straight away.
- Your answers stay on your device. Nothing is saved or sent.
This is a screening tool, not a diagnosis. If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call your local emergency number now (911 in Saudi Arabia, 1122 in Pakistan).
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How this test is scored
Each of the 9 questions is scored 0 (Not at all) to 3 (Nearly every day), for a total of 0 to 27. Official severity bands: 0 to 4 minimal, 5 to 9 mild, 10 to 14 moderate, 15 to 19 moderately severe, 20 to 27 severe. A score of 10 or more is the usual cut-off for further assessment. The last question about difficulty is not part of the score. Any answer above "Not at all" on question 9 shows urgent help information.
Source
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. Robert L. Spitzer, Janet B.W. Williams, Kurt Kroenke and colleagues, with an educational grant from Pfizer Inc. No permission required to reproduce, translate, display or distribute.