Depression Self Test
(last updated 15 Jan 2012)
Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by any of the following problems?
ANSWER SCORES 0=not at all, 1=several days, 2= more than half the days, 3= nearly every day
- Little interest or pleasure in doing things?
- Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless?
- Trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleeping too much?
- Feeling tired or having little energy
- Poor appetite or overeating?
- Feeling bad about yourself – or that you are a failure or have let yourself or your family down?
- Trouble concentrating on things, such as reading the newspaper or watching television?
- 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.
- Thoughts that you would be better off dead, or of hurting yourself in some way?
Total=
RESULTS
Depression Severity:
- 0-4 None
- 5-9 mild
- 10-14 moderate
- 15-19 moderately severe
- 20-27 severe
VALIDITY: Validity has been assessed against an independent structured mental health professional (MHP) interview. PHQ-9 score =10
Had a sensitivity of 88% and a specificity of 88% for major depression.1,2 It can even be used over the telephone.
CREDITS
PHQ9 Copyright ©Pfizer. Reprinted with permission, courtesy of Pfizer Limited. PRIME-MD ® is a trademark of PfizerDocument
REFERENCES
1.Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JB; The PHQ-9: validity of a brief depression severity measure. J Gen Intern Med. 2001
Sep;16(9):606-13.
2.Dietrich AJ, Oxman TE, Burns MR, et al; Application of a depression management office system in community practice: a
demonstration. J Am Board Fam Pract. 2003 Mar-Apr;16(2):107-14.
3.Pinto-Meza A, Serrano-Blanco A, Penarrubia MT, et al; Assessing depression in primary care with the PHQ-9: can it be carried out
over the telephone? J Gen Intern Med. 2005 Aug;20(8):738-42.