Depression self-check
The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is a nine-question checklist, built for use in doctors' offices, that looks for signs of depression and measures how severe symptoms are. Answer each question about the last 2 weeks.
Screening, not a diagnosis
A score can show that it is time to talk with someone. Only a health care provider can diagnose depression, after asking about your symptoms and ruling out other causes such as thyroid problems or medicine side effects.
Private by design
Your answers stay in this browser tab. Nothing is stored, sent, or tracked, and closing or reloading the page clears them. Only you can print or save a copy.
Crisis help comes first
If you answer question 9 with anything other than Not at all, crisis contacts appear right away, whatever your total score. You can call or text 988 at any time.
Patient Health Questionnaire-9
Nine questions about the last 2 weeks
Your results
Answer all 9 questions
0 of 9 answered. Your score appears when every question has an answer.
| Score | Severity |
|---|---|
| 0 to 4 | Minimal |
| 5 to 9 | Mild |
| 10 to 14 | Moderate |
| 15 to 19 | Moderately severe |
| 20 to 27 | Severe |
This is a screening tool, not a diagnosis. Only a health care provider can diagnose depression, and some medicines and medical conditions, such as thyroid problems, can cause the same symptoms. Please take your results to a health care provider.
Print and save turn on once all 9 questions are answered.
Print opens your print dialog, where you can also choose Save as PDF. Save results downloads a small text file to your device.
What to do next
Take your results to a health care provider
Book a visit
A primary care doctor, psychologist, or psychiatrist can help. It may help to bring notes about your symptoms, such as this printout.
Learn about treatment
Depression treatment usually involves talk therapy, medicine, or both. Most people with depression benefit from treatment.
Keep a daily log
Providers ask when symptoms began, how often they happen, and how severe they are. A week of notes makes those answers easier.
National Institute of Mental Health · Tips for talking with a health care provider
Already on a medicine?
Antidepressants usually take 4 to 8 weeks to work. If you still have symptoms after that, ask about the options.
About the PHQ-9
Where these questions come from
The questions, answer choices, and the difficulty question are copied word for word from the official English PHQ-9 form. Two dashes in questions 6 and 8 are shown here as hyphens.
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.
The PHQ screeners website says all its screeners and translations can be downloaded, and no permission is required to reproduce, translate, display, or distribute them.
The score bands come from the study that tested the PHQ-9 with 6,000 patients in primary care and obstetrics-gynecology clinics. Scores of 5, 10, 15, and 20 marked mild, moderate, moderately severe, and severe depression. In that study, a score of 10 or more found 88% of people who had major depression, which is why a score is a reason to talk with a provider, not a final answer.