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Free mental health screening tool

PHQ-9 Depression Screening Questionnaire

The PHQ-9 is a nine-question screening questionnaire that can help you reflect on symptoms of depression over the last two weeks. It is a screening tool, not a diagnosis.

Private by design: your answers and score are calculated in your browser and are not sent to Health Private.
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Before you begin

Use the questionnaire as a starting point.

Choose the answer that best reflects how often each problem has affected you during the last two weeks. Your total score is shown immediately after completion together with the standard PHQ-9 severity range.

  • There are 9 scored questions.
  • Each answer scores from 0 to 3, giving a total from 0 to 27.
  • A higher score indicates a greater level of depressive symptoms on this screening questionnaire.
PHQ-9

Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by the following problems?

Select one answer for every question, then calculate your score.

1 Little interest or pleasure in doing things
2 Feeling down, depressed or hopeless
3 Trouble falling asleep, 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
Understanding the score

PHQ-9 severity ranges

The ranges below are standard screening categories. They are not, by themselves, a clinical diagnosis.

0–4

None / minimal

Few depressive symptoms are indicated by the questionnaire.

5–9

Mild

Mild depressive symptoms are indicated by the questionnaire.

10–14

Moderate

Moderate depressive symptoms are indicated and further discussion may be useful.

15–19

Moderately severe

A higher level of depressive symptoms is indicated and professional assessment should be considered.

20–27

Severe

A high level of depressive symptoms is indicated and timely professional assessment is advisable.

Next steps

Would you like to discuss how you have been feeling?

Health Private can provide consultant-led psychiatric assessment and guidance based on your individual circumstances.

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About the questionnaire: The PHQ-9 was developed by Robert L. Spitzer, Janet B.W. Williams, Kurt Kroenke and colleagues. The PHQ-9 is in the public domain and may be used without permission.
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