PHQ-9 Depression Screening Calculator
Rate each of the nine PHQ-9 items by how often you experienced the symptom over the past two weeks. The tool sums the scores and maps the total to a severity category from "none / minimal" to "severe depression".
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 or watching television
8. Moving or speaking so slowly that other people could have noticed — or 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 thoughts of hurting yourself in some way
Range 0–27: higher scores indicate more severe depression
- 1
Somatic symptoms (Q3, Q4, Q5, Q8)
sleep(0) + energy(0) + appetite(0) + psychomotor(0) = 0Sleep disturbance, fatigue, appetite changes, and psychomotor symptoms. - 2
Cognitive / affective (Q1, Q2, Q6, Q7, Q9)
interest(0) + mood(0) + guilt(0) + concentration(0) + self-harm(0) = 0 - 3
PHQ-9 total score
0 + 0 = 00–4 minimal; 5–9 mild; 10–14 moderate; 15–19 moderately severe; 20–27 severe.
How does this calculator work?
The PHQ-9 sums nine items (each 0–3) covering DSM depression criteria over the past 2 weeks. Scores: 0–4 = minimal; 5–9 = mild; 10–14 = moderate; 15–19 = moderately severe; 20–27 = severe. A score of ≥ 10 has ~88 % sensitivity and specificity for major depressive disorder. Any score on Q9 (self-harm) requires immediate clinical follow-up.
Formula
How this is calculated
The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was developed by Kroenke, Spitzer and Williams (J Gen Intern Med, 2001) as a brief self-administered instrument for detecting and grading depressive disorders in primary care settings. It maps directly onto the nine DSM diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder, with each item rated on a 0–3 frequency scale: Not at all (0), Several days (1), More than half the days (2), Nearly every day (3). The nine scores are simply summed.
Severity classifications used in the original validation: 0–4 = none or minimal depression; 5–9 = mild; 10–14 = moderate; 15–19 = moderately severe; 20–27 = severe. A total of ≥ 10 had sensitivity of 88 % and specificity of 88 % for major depressive disorder in primary care, making it one of the most widely used brief depression measures.
Question 9 (suicidal ideation) is flagged separately because any non-zero score warrants immediate clinical follow-up — the PHQ-9 score alone does not determine whether a patient is safe. The tool does not replace a full clinical interview and diagnosis. It should not be used in isolation for diagnostic decisions, and patients with somatic conditions causing overlapping symptoms (fatigue, sleep disturbance) may score higher than their depressive burden alone would suggest.
Frequently asked questions
A score of ≥ 10 is the commonly used cut-off for detecting a major depressive episode — it has approximately 88 % sensitivity and specificity in primary care populations. Scores 5–9 suggest mild depression that may warrant watchful waiting or counselling.
Any score greater than 0 on question 9 (thoughts of self-harm or being better off dead) must be followed up with a direct clinical assessment of suicidal ideation, intent, and plan. The PHQ-9 is a screening tool — it identifies patients who need further evaluation, not a substitute for it.
Yes — repeated PHQ-9 scoring is widely used in clinical practice to monitor progress. A 5-point decrease in score is considered a minimal clinically important difference. A score falling below 5 suggests remission. Scores should be interpreted alongside clinical context and patient-reported experience.
Also known as
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). PHQ-9 Depression Screening Calculator [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/depression-phq-calculator
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "PHQ-9 Depression Screening Calculator." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/depression-phq-calculator.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "PHQ-9 Depression Screening Calculator," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/calculator/depression-phq-calculator
@misc{wecalculate_depression_phq_calculator, title = {PHQ-9 Depression Screening Calculator}, author = {{TG we-Calculate Editorial Team}}, howpublished = {\url{https://we-calculate.com/calculator/depression-phq-calculator}}, year = {2026}, note = {TG we-Calculate} }
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