Process / pipelinemood-disorder-screening

Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)

The PHQ-9 is a brief, nine-item self-report questionnaire developed by Kroenke, Spitzer, and Williams to screen for and measure the severity of depressive symptoms. Published in 2001 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, it has become one of the most widely used depression screening instruments globally. The scale maps directly to DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder, making it valuable in both clinical and research settings.

Open in MethodMindSoonVideoSoon

Read the full method

Members only

Sign in with a free account to read this section.

Sign in

Sources

  1. Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. (2001). The PHQ-9: validity of a brief depression severity measure. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 16(9), 606–613. DOI: 10.1046/j.1525-1497.2001.016009606.x
  2. Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., Williams, J. B., & Löwe, B. (2010). The Patient Health Questionnaire Somatic, Anxiety, and Depressive Symptom Scales: a systematic review. General Hospital Psychiatry, 32(4), 345–359. DOI: 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2010.03.006
  3. Manea, L., Gilbody, S., & McMillan, D. (2012). Optimal cut-off score for diagnosing depression with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9): a meta-analysis. CMAJ, 184(15), E682–E689. DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.110829

Related methods

Referenced by

ScholarGatePatient Health Questionnaire-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire-9: Depression Scale). Retrieved 2026-06-04 from https://scholargate.app/en/clinical-psychology/phq-9