Brief 15-item somatic symptom check-in for the last 4 weeks.

  • Choose how much each symptom bothered you.
  • The finished report keeps the standard PHQ-15 cut points and top symptom drivers in view.
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Share result

Share this result page with someone you trust to review your answers and result.

Score ladder
Somatic pattern map
Somatic pattern brief

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Score lane and cue table
Score Band Common cue Status Copy
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Body-system grouping

Top cluster: {{ dominantSystemLabel }}. These clusters help organize review conversations; they are not official PHQ-15 subscales.

Body-system cluster Load Lane Review cue Copy
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Highest-rated symptom drivers

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Symptom Response Score Prompt Copy
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No item scored above "Not bothered at all," so no symptom driver stands out in this run.

Follow-up cues
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Answer review
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Complete the PHQ-15 before exporting the response ledger.
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Physical symptoms can be simple to notice and difficult to summarize. Pain, stomach trouble, dizziness, heart pounding, breathlessness, fatigue, sleep trouble, menstrual symptoms, and sexual-health symptoms may overlap with medical conditions, medicines, stress, sleep loss, mood, anxiety, or ordinary short-term illness. A symptom checklist cannot sort out the cause, but it can turn a scattered picture into a consistent burden score.

The Patient Health Questionnaire-15, usually shortened to PHQ-15, is a 15-item self-report scale for somatic symptom severity. "Somatic" means body-related. Each item asks how much a symptom bothered the person during the recent recall window, then scores the response as 0, 1, or 2 points. Adding the 15 item scores produces a 0 to 30 total.

That total matters because symptom burden is not just the number of symptoms present. One severe symptom can deserve attention even when the total is low. Several lower-intensity symptoms across different body systems can also add up to a score that merits structured follow-up. The PHQ-15 helps keep both views visible: the total burden and the specific symptoms driving it.

Symptom burden
The combined weight of reported body-related symptoms, including how many symptoms are present and how strongly they are rated.
Severity band
A score range used to describe the total as minimal, low, medium, or high for PHQ-15 review.
Symptom driver
A highest-scored item that helps identify which symptom should be discussed first.
PHQ-15 score bands from 0 to 30 A horizontal PHQ-15 score scale with cut points at 5, 10, and 15. PHQ-15 burden scale Fifteen symptom ratings build one total. Cut points at 5, 10, and 15 guide review. Minimal Low Medium High 0 5 10 15 30 Read the total beside the highest-rated symptoms and body-system pattern.

PHQ-15 interpretation should stay cause-aware. A high score does not prove that symptoms are psychological, unexplained, or part of somatic symptom disorder. A low score does not make a new, severe, or frightening symptom safe. The score is a structured prompt for review, especially when symptoms persist, interfere with daily life, or need comparison with a previous complete PHQ-15.

Urgent symptoms should be handled as urgent symptoms first. New chest pain, fainting, severe shortness of breath, neurological changes, bleeding, severe pain, or any symptom that feels dangerous should not wait for questionnaire interpretation.

How to Use This Tool:

Answer the 15 prompts using one consistent last-4-weeks frame. The result appears only after the full response set is complete.

  1. Select Begin Assessment and work through each symptom prompt in order, or use the prompt navigator to jump between items.
  2. Choose Not bothered at all, Bothered a little, or Bothered a lot. These choices score 0, 1, and 2 points.
  3. For menstrual or sexual-health items that are not relevant, choose Not bothered at all so the total stays on the standard 0 to 30 PHQ-15 scale.
    This keeps non-applicable items from adding symptom burden to the total.
  4. Use the progress indicator to check completeness. If the result does not appear, return to the navigator and answer the missing item.
    A partial checklist cannot produce the Total score, Band, Score ladder, or Answer review.
  5. Start with the Somatic symptom snapshot. It shows the total score, band, review cue, top cluster, and count of items scored 2/2.
  6. Compare the Score ladder, Somatic pattern map, Score lane and cue table, and Body-system grouping before focusing on one symptom.
  7. Use Highest-rated symptom drivers and Answer review to decide what to discuss or save. Copy rows or export only when the health information is safe to share.

Interpreting Results:

The PHQ-15 total reflects recent somatic symptom burden. Higher scores can come from more symptoms, stronger ratings, or both. The number does not identify a medical cause, rule out physical illness, confirm somatic symptom disorder, or separate medical, medication, stress, mood, sleep, and lifestyle contributors.

Score range Band How to read it
0 to 4 Minimal Below the first PHQ-15 cut point. New, severe, or persistent single symptoms still deserve normal medical judgment.
5 to 9 Low Noticeable symptom burden below the common 10-point review cue.
10 to 14 Medium At or above the 10-point cue often used to flag clinically meaningful symptom burden.
15 to 30 High Substantial burden on the PHQ-15 scale and a strong reason for structured follow-up.

Do not stop at the band label. A total of 10 made mostly from headaches, back pain, and low energy points to a different conversation than a total of 10 led by chest pain, dizziness, heart pounding, or shortness of breath. The highest-rated symptom drivers show which items contributed most to the total.

The body-system grouping is a review aid, not an official PHQ-15 subscale. It can show whether the strongest load sits in pain, gastrointestinal, cardiopulmonary and autonomic, fatigue and sleep, or reproductive and sexual-health symptoms, but the official score remains the 0 to 30 total.

Prior-score change is easiest to trust when both numbers are complete PHQ-15 totals collected with the same recall window. A lower score can show improvement while still leaving urgent or persistent symptoms to review.

Technical Details:

PHQ-15 scoring uses equal item weights. Each item contributes 0, 1, or 2 points, and the total is the sum across all 15 symptoms. Because the response scale is ordinal, the total is best read as ordered burden rather than an exact medical quantity.

The cut points at 5, 10, and 15 divide the total into low, medium, and high somatic symptom severity, with scores below 5 treated here as minimal. The 10-point boundary is a common review cue. The 15-point boundary marks the highest burden band on this 0 to 30 scale.

Formula Core

The score arithmetic is simple, but the formula makes the range and optional comparison rule explicit.

T = ∑ i=1 15 qi Δ = current PHQ-15 total - prior PHQ-15 total

In the formula, T is the PHQ-15 total and each q is one item score from 0 to 2. Five symptoms scored 2, four symptoms scored 1, and six symptoms scored 0 produce 14 out of 30, which falls in the Medium band. The change value, Δ, is meaningful only when the prior number is another complete PHQ-15 total.

Score Construction

Scoring part Values used Maximum Interpretation boundary
Item score Not bothered at all = 0, Bothered a little = 1, Bothered a lot = 2 2 Each symptom contributes the same maximum number of points.
Total score Sum of all 15 item scores 30 Measures reported burden, not cause, diagnosis, or urgency.
2/2 item count Number of symptoms rated Bothered a lot 15 Identifies high-intensity symptom drivers for review.

Band Rules

Score range Band Rule Technical read
0 to 4 Minimal T < 5 Below the first PHQ-15 cut point.
5 to 9 Low 5 <= T < 10 At or above the low cut point and below the 10-point review cue.
10 to 14 Medium 10 <= T < 15 At or above the common 10-point cue and below the high cut point.
15 to 30 High T >= 15 At or above the highest PHQ-15 cut point.

Body-system grouping divides each group total by its own maximum. A three-item group can reach 6 points, a two-item group can reach 4 points, and the five-item cardiopulmonary and autonomic group can reach 10 points. Percent lanes make the groups comparable as a local pattern summary, not as official PHQ-15 subscales.

Grouping Items included Maximum Lane rule
Musculoskeletal & pain Back pain, limb or joint pain, headaches 6 0% Quiet, 1% to 33% Background, 34% to 66% Notable, 67%+ Concentrated
Gastrointestinal Stomach pain, bowel changes, nausea or indigestion 6 Same percent lanes as other groups
Cardiopulmonary & autonomic Chest pain, dizziness, fainting, heart pounding, shortness of breath 10 Same percent lanes as other groups
Fatigue & sleep Low energy, trouble sleeping 4 Same percent lanes as other groups
Reproductive & sexual health Menstrual concerns, pain or problems during sexual intercourse 4 Same percent lanes as other groups

Limitations, Privacy, and Responsible Use:

The PHQ-15 is an informational screener. It cannot decide whether symptoms are medically explained, stress-related, medication-related, linked to another condition, or part of a diagnosable mental health condition.

  • Use the same last-4-weeks recall frame for repeat comparisons.
  • Do not use the band label to dismiss new, severe, worsening, or frightening symptoms.
  • Routine scoring runs in the browser, but copied rows, downloaded files, screenshots, and shared result links can contain sensitive symptom answers.
  • Share results only with people you trust and remove exported files from shared devices when they are no longer needed.

Worked Examples:

These examples show how totals, item drivers, and body-system patterns can point to different follow-up conversations.

Medium total led by pain and fatigue

Back pain, limb or joint pain, headaches, low energy, and trouble sleeping are each marked Bothered a lot. Four other symptoms are marked Bothered a little. The total is 14/30, which falls in the Medium band, and the driver table makes pain and fatigue the natural starting point for review.

Low total with one symptom that still matters

A total of 5/30 sits in the Low band. If the strongest item is chest pain, fainting, or shortness of breath, the low band should not be used as reassurance by itself. The item-level review shows that the overall burden is low while the specific symptom may still need prompt medical judgment.

High total across several systems

A score of 18/30 reaches the High band. If the body-system grouping shows Notable or Concentrated lanes in cardiopulmonary, gastrointestinal, and fatigue groups, the pattern supports a structured follow-up that reviews both the total burden and the different symptom areas.

FAQ:

Does the PHQ-15 diagnose somatic symptom disorder?

No. The PHQ-15 summarizes reported physical symptom burden. Diagnosis requires qualified clinical assessment and cannot be made from the total score alone.

What does a score of 10 or more mean?

A total of 10 or more reaches the Medium or High PHQ-15 range. It is a useful cue for fuller review, but it does not identify the cause of the symptoms.

Are the body-system groups official PHQ-15 subscales?

No. The official PHQ-15 score is the 0 to 30 total. The groups organize the answer pattern so the strongest clusters are easier to discuss.

Can I compare today's score with an older number?

Yes, if the older number came from a complete PHQ-15 scored over a comparable recall window. A rough memory of an older score is weaker evidence.

Why is no result showing after I answered most questions?

All 15 prompts must be answered before the result appears. Use the prompt navigator to find the missing item, then review the Total score, Band, Score ladder, and Answer review.

What should I do with a high score?

Use it as a reason to seek structured follow-up, especially when symptoms are persistent, spreading, impairing daily life, or hard to explain. Seek urgent care first for urgent symptoms.

Glossary:

PHQ-15
A 15-item Patient Health Questionnaire scale for recent somatic symptom severity.
Somatic symptom
A body-related symptom such as pain, digestive trouble, dizziness, fatigue, or breathlessness.
Severity band
A PHQ-15 score range used to label the total as minimal, low, medium, or high.
Review cue
A score threshold, especially 10 or 15, that supports closer follow-up.
Symptom driver
A highest-scored symptom that contributes strongly to the current total.
Body-system grouping
A local pattern summary that organizes symptoms by broad body area; it is not an official PHQ-15 subscale.

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