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PHQ-9 depression questionnaire

The internationally standard PHQ-9 depression questionnaire: 9 items, scored automatically, interpreted against the published thresholds. Free, no details required.

Updated 2026-11-03

PHQ-9 depression questionnaire

Key points

  • The PHQ-9 is a 9-item screen covering the last 2 weeks, each item scored 0 to 3, total 0 to 27.
  • It SCREENS rather than diagnoses. A high score means you should be assessed by a doctor, not that you have depression.
  • The first two items (PHQ-2) are the core: with neither of them present, depression is very unlikely.
  • Item 9 asks about thoughts of self-harm. Any answer other than "not at all" needs acting on immediately, whatever the total score.
  • Insomnia and depression run both ways: insomnia raises the risk of depression, and depression often shows itself first as insomnia.
  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

9 questions still unanswered.

Your answers are not sent anywhere and are not saved. They exist only in your browser and disappear when you close the page.

About the copyright of this questionnaire

The PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) was developed by Robert L. Spitzer, Janet B.W. Williams, Kurt Kroenke and colleagues, funded by Pfizer Inc. Pfizer states that no permission is required to reproduce, translate, display or distribute it. That is why this page can print all nine items in full.

References

  1. Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) - the original instrument and the statement that no permission is required to use it - Pfizer / PHQ Screeners, 1999
  2. The PHQ-9: Validity of a Brief Depression Severity Measure - Journal of General Internal Medicine, 2001
  3. Depression and Suicide Risk in Adults: Screening - U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, 2023

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