PHQ-9 calculator
Answer nine questions about the last two weeks, get the total and severity band.
Educational tool, not a diagnosis. A screening score does not replace an assessment by a doctor or mental health professional. If you are thinking about suicide or self-harm, call or text 988 (the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, free, 24 hours) or call 911 in an emergency. How we check our calculators.
Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by each problem? Questions are paraphrased from the PHQ-9.
What does a PHQ-9 score mean?
The PHQ-9 adds the answers to nine questions about the last two weeks, each scored 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day), for a total of 0 to 27. The authors proposed cut points of 5, 10, 15 and 20 for mild, moderate, moderately severe and severe depression, and this page uses them: 0 to 4 minimal or none, 5 to 9 mild, 10 to 14 moderate, 15 to 19 moderately severe, 20 to 27 severe. The example answers above add up to 8, which is mild. The score describes how heavy the symptoms have been; it does not say why, and it is not a diagnosis.
What is a positive screen?
A total of 10 or more is the usual cut point. In the 2001 validation paper by Kroenke, Spitzer and Williams, a score of 10 or more had a sensitivity of 88% and a specificity of 88% for major depression compared with an interview by a mental health professional. A 2019 meta-analysis of individual patient data in the BMJ (29 studies, 6,725 participants) found 0.88 and 0.85 at the same cut point. Those numbers mean a positive screen is a reason for a proper assessment, not an answer.
Why does question 9 matter on its own?
Question 9 asks about thoughts of being better off dead or of hurting yourself. In the original paper the symptom counts if it is present at all, regardless of duration. Because the item is about self-harm, any answer above zero deserves a conversation with a clinician whatever the total. If you or someone you know is having these thoughts, call or text 988 (the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, free and open 24 hours, chat at 988lifeline.org), or call 911 if there is immediate danger. This page flags the answer, but it cannot assess risk.
Can the PHQ-9 diagnose depression?
No. It was built as a screening and severity measure. A diagnosis rests on a clinical interview that considers the history, other possible causes and how much the symptoms get in the way of life. Even at a good cut point, many positive screens are false positives when few of the people tested are depressed. As an illustration only: if 10% of the people screened had major depression, a sensitivity of 0.88 and a specificity of 0.85 would make about 39 in 100 positive screens true. The 10% is an assumption for the example, not a published prevalence.
Is screening recommended for everyone?
The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening all adults for depression, including pregnant and postpartum people and older adults (grade B, 2023). For suicide risk in adults it found the evidence insufficient to recommend for or against screening (an I statement). The PHQ-9 is one of the instruments used for this, not the only one.
How often should it be repeated?
The questions refer to the last two weeks, so a score describes only that window. This page does not store results, so keep your own record if you want to compare scores over time, and show the numbers to the person caring for you.
Is it free to use?
The standard form carries this notice: developed by Drs. Robert L. Spitzer, Janet B.W. Williams, Kurt Kroenke and colleagues, with an educational grant from Pfizer Inc., and no permission required to reproduce, translate, display or distribute. We read that notice on copies of the form published by public agencies. Some other copies also print a 1999 Pfizer copyright line, so this page paraphrases the nine questions in its own words instead of copying the form. For a clinical or research use, take the official form and the scoring from the instrument's own site.
How the score is built
Each of the nine items is one of the symptoms used to define a major depressive episode: loss of interest, low mood, sleep, energy, appetite, feelings of worthlessness, concentration, slowing or restlessness, and thoughts of death or self-harm. Each is answered on a four-step scale of frequency over the last two weeks (0 = not at all, 1 = several days, 2 = more than half the days, 3 = nearly every day). The total is the plain sum. A separate tenth question asks how hard these problems have made work, home and relationships; it is not part of the total, and this page only repeats your answer.
Worked example
Answers of 1, 1, 2, 2, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0 to the nine questions give 8, in the mild band, below the cut point of 10. Raising the answers to 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 1, 2, 1, 0 gives 14, in the moderate band and above the cut point. The bands do not overlap, so one answer that moves from “several days” to “more than half the days” can carry a total across a boundary; a change of a point or two near 10 or 15 should not be read as a change in the person.
Limits of this method
A screen is only as good as the answers. People who feel ashamed, who do not recognize their own symptoms, or who are answering for a form they must hand in may score too low. Other conditions can produce the same symptoms, which is why the original paper compared the score with an interview by a mental health professional, and why a positive screen leads to an assessment. The tool was validated in adults attending clinics; a score from a child, a teenager or someone in acute crisis needs a clinician, not this page. The cut points are conventions from one paper, and later work has examined cut points other than 10.
If the score is high
A high score does not tell you what to do; it tells you the symptoms are worth a conversation. Show the score and the date to a doctor, nurse practitioner or counselor, say which questions you answered highest, and mention how long it has been going on. Free, confidential support is available at any hour: call or text 988 in the US. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
Sources: Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JBW, “The PHQ-9: validity of a brief depression severity measure,” J Gen Intern Med 2001;16:606–613; Levis B, Benedetti A, Thombs BD, “Accuracy of Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for screening to detect major depression: individual participant data meta-analysis,” BMJ 2019;365:l1476; US Preventive Services Task Force, “Screening for Depression and Suicide Risk in Adults,” JAMA 2023;329:2057–2067; SAMHSA, 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Related: GAD-7 anxiety score, Glasgow Coma Scale, BMI calculator.
For general information only — not medical advice, and not a tool for patient care decisions. Talk with a doctor or counselor about how you feel; in a crisis call or text 988. How we check our calculators.