Depression screen (PHQ-9)
Recent mood, interest and daily changes. Answer the app’s questionnaire and see your result right away.
Source · Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JBW. The PHQ-9: validity of a brief depression severity measure. J Gen Intern Med. 2001;16(9):606–613. Distributed by Pfizer.
PHQ-9 depression check: how to read your score
The PHQ-9 is a depression screening questionnaire developed by Kroenke, Spitzer and Williams, whose validation study was published in 2001. Each of its nine questions follows one of the experiences used in diagnostic criteria for depression: low mood, loss of interest, sleep, appetite, tiredness, feeling bad about yourself, concentration, moving slowly or restlessly, and thoughts of self-harm. You rate how often each problem bothered you over the last two weeks, from not at all to nearly every day.
Reading your results
Each question scores 0–3, for a total of 0–27. The result screen shows 0–4 as minimal, 5–9 as mild, 10–14 as moderate, 15–19 as moderately severe and 20–27 as severe. Look at which questions you answered 'nearly every day' as well as the total. A screening score is a starting point; a diagnosis is made in a clinical conversation. A score of 10 or more, or two weeks of struggling with daily life, is a good reason to talk with a professional. Question 9 asks about thoughts of hurting yourself; if you answer yes to it, support information appears before your result.
A question to reflect on
Pick one question you answered 'more than half the days' or 'nearly every day'. Note when it was strongest last week and what you had wanted to do at that moment but could not. Those two lines make an easy starting point for a conversation.
Frequently asked questions
- How many questions are in Depression screen (PHQ-9), and how long does it take?
- There are 9 questions, and it usually takes about 2 minutes. For each question you choose one of 4 answers, from “Not at all” to “Nearly every day”. There are no right or wrong answers.
- What PHQ-9 score means depression?
- The result screen labels 10–14 as moderate and 15 and above as higher ranges. A score alone does not establish depression; a clinician looks at how long symptoms have lasted and how much they affect daily life.
- How is the PHQ-2 different from the PHQ-9?
- The PHQ-2 asks only the first two PHQ-9 questions, about low mood and loss of interest. Use it for a quick check, and the PHQ-9 when you want to look at sleep, appetite, concentration and the other areas too.
- How often can I retake it?
- Because it asks about the last two weeks, retaking it about every two weeks makes changes easier to compare. Daily retakes tend to follow the mood of the day rather than the trend.
- Do I need to sign in? Are my answers saved?
- You can see your results right away without signing in. Your answers are used only for scoring and are not stored on our servers.
- Can I talk about this result with Maeumi?
- The analysis button opens a short conversation about the result. If an answer calls for safety support, support information is shown first and the app invitation and preview conversation are hidden.
- Can I send this check to a friend?
- Use Share test at the top of the screen to share the questionnaire link. This link does not contain your answers, result, name or account.