Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)
The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is a multipurpose instrument for screening, diagnosing, monitoring, and measuring the severity of depression. It incorporates DSM-IV depression diagnostic criteria with other leading major depressive symptoms into a brief self-report tool. Assessment Questions Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by any of the following problems? […]
Clinically Reviewed by Lauren Barry, LMFT, MCAP, QS
Medically Reviewed by Ali Nikbakht, PsyD
Updated on March 4, 2026 — Editorial Policy | Research Policy | Privacy Policy
The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is a multipurpose instrument for screening, diagnosing, monitoring, and measuring the severity of depression. It incorporates DSM-IV depression diagnostic criteria with other leading major depressive symptoms into a brief self-report tool.
Assessment Questions
Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by any of the following problems?
| Problem | Not at all (0) | Several days (1) | More than half the days (2) | Nearly every day (3) |
| 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 in some way | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
FOR OFFICE CODING: Total Score = _____
Functional Impact
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?
- Not difficult at all
- Somewhat difficult
- Very difficult
- Extremely difficult
Results and Interpretation
| Score Range | Depression Severity | Proposed Treatment Action |
| 0-4 | None-minimal | None |
| 5-9 | Mild | Watchful waiting; repeat PHQ-9 at follow-up |
| 10-14 | Moderate | Create a treatment plan, consider counseling, follow-up and/or pharmacotherapy |
| 15-19 | Moderately Severe | Immediate initiation of pharmacotherapy and/or psychotherapy |
| 20-27 | Severe | Immediate initiation of pharmacotherapy and, if severe impairment, expedited referral to a mental health specialist |
Note: Diagnosis should be confirmed by a healthcare provider. This tool provides an indication of severity but does not replace clinical evaluation. If you have thoughts of self-harm, please seek immediate help or contact a crisis hotline.