Patient Health Questionnaire - 9
The PHQ-9 is a nine-item self-report of depressive symptom frequency over the past two weeks. This page is for clinics evaluating the measure. It is not a public depression test.
Overview
What is the PHQ-9?
The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 was developed by Kroenke, Spitzer, Williams and colleagues as a brief depression measure aligned to DSM symptom criteria. Clinics use it for screening, monitoring, and measurement-based care. The functional-difficulty item is reviewed separately from the symptom total in many implementations.
Development and clinical use
PHQ-9 emerged from the broader Patient Health Questionnaire programme with a Pfizer educational grant. It is now a routine measure in primary care and specialist mental health services.
- Source instrument
- 9 symptom items
- Reference period
- Past 2 weeks
- Response format
- 4 frequency options
- Difficulty item
- Reviewed, often unscored
- Respondent
- Patient self-report
- Clinical role
- Screening support
Administration
A focused client experience
Respondents rate how often nine problems have bothered them over the past two weeks, then how difficult those problems have made daily life. Any self-harm-related response requires direct clinical interview. Software must not treat that item as an automated risk decision.
- One question at a time with visible progress
- Large keyboard-operable response choices
- Previous, next, and answer-review steps
- Clear confirmation that results go to the clinic
Frequency choices are shown without reproducing PHQ-9 item wording.
Report showcase
Designed to make evidence easy to review
The downloadable synthetic example illustrates report layout using invented response patterns, without patient data or instrument questions.
- Named instrument, version, and provenance
- Item-level response pattern without source wording
- Methodology, references, and clinical boundary
- Responsible clinician review rather than automated conclusions
Clinician review required
Methodology
Understand the measure and its scoring conventions
Published source materials describe a 0-27 symptom total and suggested bands. This public page does not independently verify scoring, cutoffs, or production scoring. Use the official form, including the difficulty item and item-9 review process your clinic owns.
References
- Original PHQ-9 validationKroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JBW. The PHQ-9. J Gen Intern Med. 2001;16(9):606-613.
- Official source formsPfizer Inc. Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) screeners.
Questions
What clinics ask before they evaluate the PHQ-9
These answers stay inside educational catalogue scope. They do not replace official manuals or clinician judgement.
What is the PHQ-9 used for?
Clinics use it to structure depressive symptom frequency and to track change. The result is supporting evidence for a clinician, not a completed assessment.
Does PHQ-9 measure suicide risk automatically?
No. A self-harm-related response must be reviewed by a clinician. Lirena does not determine risk, provide crisis monitoring, or replace local safeguarding protocols.
Can I complete PHQ-9 on this page?
No. This landing is educational. It does not collect answers or return a personal score.
Which PHQ-9 form should a clinic use?
Confirm you are using the official form and that your review process covers item 9.