Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)
The PHQ-9 asks how often nine depressive symptoms occurred during the past two weeks and places the total in published symptom ranges. It is a screening questionnaire, not a diagnosis.
Evidence passport
Instrument and scoring
- Scientific name
- Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)
- NuraCheck implementation version
- 1.0.0
- Scoring method
- Published sum score
- Score shown
- Overall score and dimensions
- Primary reference
- Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JBW. The PHQ-9: Validity of a Brief Depression Severity Measure. Journal of General Internal Medicine. 2001;16(9):606–613. Open publication
- Published scoring source
- No separate source is recorded for this field.
- Exact form or administration source
- No separate source is recorded for this field.
Who and where the evidence may apply
Evidence comes from particular studies and language versions, so its relevance can vary.
- Intended audience
- Adults reflecting on depressive symptoms during the past two weeks.
- Language version shown
- English (en) · Base wording used by this NuraCheck implementation
- Study participants and settings
- The cited validation included 3,000 patients from eight US primary-care clinics and 3,000 from seven US obstetrics-gynaecology clinics. The primary-care sample averaged 46 years and was 66% women; the obstetrics-gynaecology sample averaged 31 years and was entirely women. The paper reports race and ethnicity separately for both samples.
Review the study used for these details
Scores do not capture culture, minority stress, disability or barriers to support. These factors can shape responses.
The evidence cannot determine whether a questionnaire fits you personally. NuraCheck does not ask for or infer identity to decide this.
Language provenance
- Language version shown
- English (en) · Base wording used by this NuraCheck implementation
- Wording scope
- Full instrument
- Independent language review
- Not recorded separately for the base wording
Base-wording source recorded by NuraCheck
Language provenance and independent validation are different. NuraCheck does not infer a reviewer or review date when the evidence record does not name one.
Licence and permitted use
- Licence status
- Permission granted
- Rights holder or steward
- Robert L. Spitzer, Janet B.W. Williams, Kurt Kroenke, and colleagues
- Permission record checked
- Jul 14, 2026
- Electronic use
- Allowed by the reviewed permission record
- Translation
- Allowed by the reviewed permission record
PHQ-9 © Pfizer Inc.; developed by Robert L. Spitzer, Janet B.W. Williams, Kurt Kroenke, and colleagues.
What this questionnaire cannot answer
The score does not capture context, duration, daily impact, physical health or other explanations. Any response above zero to item 9 deserves prompt attention.
Compare nearby questionnaire options
These questionnaires overlap, but they answer different reflection questions. Choose one based on scope and time; you do not need to complete all of them.
PHQ-9 gives the fuller mood-focused reflection. PHQ-4 is shorter and combines mood and anxiety; GAD-7 is anxiety-focused.
Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4)
- What it covers
- A very brief check-in about low mood, loss of interest, worry and tension over the past two weeks.
- Time
- 1 min · 4 questions
- What this cannot tell you
- With four questions, the PHQ-4 offers less detail than the PHQ-9 or GAD-7. Similar symptoms can have many causes.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7)
- What it covers
- Reflect on worry, tension, restlessness and related anxiety experiences over the past two weeks.
- Time
- 2 min · 7 questions
- What this cannot tell you
- The score does not explain the cause of these experiences. Other conditions, circumstances and physical health factors can produce similar symptoms.
What your result can show
Use it to support a conversation, not as a diagnosis.
Important limitations
The score does not capture context, duration, daily impact, physical health or other explanations. Any response above zero to item 9 deserves prompt attention.