About the test
Depression test (PHQ-9)
Nine questions about mood, sleep, energy and self-worth over the past two weeks, from the most widely used depression questionnaire. Shows how much the symptoms bother you. Not a diagnosis.
- 9 questions
- About 2 min
Questionnaire / instrument: PHQ-9
What does it measure?
The frequency of nine depressive symptoms over the past two weeks, including low mood, reduced interest, changes in sleep or appetite, low energy and difficulty concentrating.
Where does it come from?
The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was developed by Kurt Kroenke, Robert Spitzer and Janet Williams. Its validation was published in 2001; development was supported by Pfizer.
How is the result calculated?
Answers contribute 0–3 points each, for a total of 0–27. The usual severity bands begin at 5, 10, 15 and 20. We use the nine scored items and omit the separate daily-life difficulty question.
What can the result tell you?
The total describes symptom burden, not a diagnosis or its cause. The self-harm item is considered separately in our feedback regardless of the total score. Persistent symptoms or concerns deserve assessment even if the total is low.
Languages and adaptations
We use the source’s official question translations where available. If the questionnaire is unavailable in the selected language, it is shown in English. Our result explanations are separate from the original instrument.
License and reuse
PHQ Screeners / PfizerThe PHQ and GAD-7 materials are distributed with permission to reproduce, translate, display and distribute them without a separate permission request. The original forms credit their developers and Pfizer’s educational support.
The terms below apply to the test materials. Articles, translations, software and our result descriptions may have separate terms.
Sources and further reading
Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. W. (2001). The PHQ-9: validity of a brief depression severity measure. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 16(9), 606–613.