PHQ-9 Depression Snapshot
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Quick 9-item depression check-in for the last two weeks.

  • Answer every question using the original 0 to 3 response scale.
  • The standard function item is included, but it is not added to the 0 to 27 total.
  • Your responses stay only in this browser unless you export them.
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PHQ-9 score lane dial

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Current score lane and cutoff context
Score Band 10-point cue Status
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What this result suggests

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Recommended next actions
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Higher and lower scored items
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Lower-scored anchors
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When to seek support

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PHQ-9 symptom ladder

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Score level Count Reading cue
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Answered item ledger

Every scored item plus the standard function item, aligned to the values used in the PHQ-9 result.

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Tags: Diagnostics, Psychology, Psychometrics
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Depression screens are most useful when they turn a hard-to-describe stretch of low mood into something you can review clearly. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9, or PHQ-9, does that by asking how often nine core symptoms were present during the last 2 weeks, then summing the answers into a score from 0 to 27.

This page keeps that standard score intact and adds a more practical reading path around it. You can see the severity band, whether the result reaches the common 10-point review cue, how much daily functioning has been affected, whether item 9 was endorsed, which symptoms are driving the total, and how the current score compares with a previous PHQ-9 if you enter one. That makes the page useful for a first screening snapshot, a repeat follow-up check, or a visit-preparation note.

PHQ-9 reading map A score map showing PHQ-9 bands from 0 to 27, a marked review cue at 10, a separate daily function item, a direct follow-up callout for item 9, and an optional previous-score comparison. PHQ-9 reading map Read the total first, then the score band, function item, item 9, and prior-score context. Minimal Mild Moderate Mod. severe Severe 0 5 10 15 20 27 Common review cue Function item Previous score Item 9 Scored separately Optional change cue Always read directly

The PHQ-9 is a screener and severity measure, not a diagnosis by itself. A high score can still reflect grief, medication effects, bipolar illness, substance use, medical problems, or other context that changes what the symptoms mean. A lower score can still matter if one symptom stands out, daily life is slipping, or the result does not match how severe things feel in real life.

This tool also keeps privacy and follow-up in view. Scoring happens in the browser and there is no separate tool-specific server assessment, but exports and shared page state can still preserve sensitive answers. Item 9 needs the same practical caution. The question can flag thoughts of death or self-harm, but it is not a full safety assessment, so any non-zero answer belongs in direct human follow-up rather than being treated as background detail.

Technical Details

The PHQ-9 uses nine scored items. Each one is rated on the same four-step frequency scale: 0 for Not at all, 1 for Several days, 2 for More than half the days, and 3 for Nearly every day. Adding those nine item scores produces the standard total from 0 to 27. The separate daily-function question about work, home responsibilities, and relationships is part of the usual questionnaire flow, but it is not added to that total.

Published interpretation bands divide the total into 0 to 4 minimal, 5 to 9 mild, 10 to 14 moderate, 15 to 19 moderately severe, and 20 to 27 severe. The original validation study and later meta-analytic work both support the familiar rule of thumb that scores of 10 or higher often justify fuller review, while still stopping well short of a stand-alone diagnosis. That matters because the PHQ-9 is designed to support discussion, not to replace clinical judgment.

This page adds a few tool-specific layers on top of the standard score. If you enter a previous PHQ-9 total, it calculates the change and labels it from slightly lower or higher through meaningful improvement or increase and large shifts. The page also builds a provisional major-depression pattern cue using the standard PHQ-style logic: at least five positive symptoms, item 1 or item 2 positive, item 9 counted if present at all, and at least some functional difficulty. Those extra cues help organize the result, but the 0 to 27 total remains the formal score.

Total = ∑ i = 1 9 q i Change = Current total - Prior total
Score range Band Usual reading
0 to 4 Minimal Few depressive symptoms on the scale, though a single endorsed item can still deserve attention.
5 to 9 Mild Symptoms are present, but follow-up depends heavily on function, persistence, and the item pattern.
10 to 14 Moderate Reaches the common review threshold where fuller assessment often becomes more appropriate.
15 to 19 Moderately severe High symptom burden that usually calls for more active follow-up than simple watchful waiting.
20 to 27 Severe The highest PHQ-9 band and difficult to read responsibly without prompt clinical attention.
Page cue How it is built What it helps with
Function context The standard daily-function item is shown separately and graded from no impact through extreme impact. Keeps impairment visible even though it is not part of the 0 to 27 score.
Probable pattern cue Requires five positive symptoms, item 1 or 2 positive, item 9 counted if present at all, and at least somewhat difficult function. Provides a structured screening flag without turning the result into a diagnosis.
Monitoring signal Compares the current total with an optional previous PHQ-9 and marks small, meaningful, or large change. Makes repeat follow-up easier when both scores came from complete PHQ-9 assessments.
Item-level pattern view Ranks higher-scored items, lower-scored anchors, and the full symptom ladder on the original 0 to 3 scale. Shows whether the total comes from a few dominant symptoms or a broad spread of burden.

Everyday Use & Decision Guide

Answer with the full 2-week window in mind. The score becomes less useful when you answer from the worst evening only, the best day only, or a single recent argument. A cleaner PHQ-9 comes from thinking about what was typical across the whole period.

For a first screen, leave the previous-score box empty and let the result stand on its own. Add a prior total only if it came from another complete PHQ-9 scored over the same 2-week frame. Otherwise the change label may look more exact than the comparison really is. The same rule applies to follow-up visits. Repeated PHQ-9 scores are informative only when the measurement is being repeated, not approximated from memory.

The Advanced options are best treated as framing controls, not scoring controls. Screening snapshot, Monitoring follow-up, and Visit preparation change how the page talks about the result. The follow-up context options such as work, home, relationships, and physical health load do the same. None of those settings changes the PHQ-9 total or severity band.

  • Use the PHQ-9 score lane dial to see where the total sits on the 0 to 27 scale and whether it reaches the common 10-point cue.
  • Use the PHQ-9 symptom ladder and the higher-scored item cards to see what is driving the score right now.
  • Use the Answered item ledger when you want a row-by-row summary for notes or follow-up comparison.
  • Use the answer record only if you genuinely need a portable structured export of the current state.

The privacy picture is simple but important. Scoring stays on the page, yet copied exports, shared URLs, and saved documents can still preserve sensitive mental-health information. Treat those outputs like personal health notes. If you would not be comfortable forwarding the answers in plain language, do not casually share the exported file or the populated link.

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Start the assessment and answer all nine symptom questions using the same 2-week frame for every item.
  2. Complete the separate function question as well. It does not change the total score, but it changes how the result should be read.
  3. Read the PHQ-9 Depression Snapshot first. That gives you the total, band, cutoff cue, probable pattern status, item 9 label, function label, and change from a prior score when one is present.
  4. Open the score-lane table and the What this result suggests section next so you can see the band context, the common 10-point threshold, and the page's follow-up interpretation in one pass.
  5. Review the higher-scored items, lower-scored anchors, and the symptom ladder chart before deciding what the total means. The score is easier to trust when you know which symptoms are carrying it.
  6. Use Recommended next actions and When to seek support as organization aids, not as a substitute for judgment or care.
  7. Export the chart images, CSVs, item ledger, or answer exports only after the result looks complete and accurate enough to save.

Interpreting Results

The total score tells you how much depressive symptom burden was reported on this scale. It does not tell you why those symptoms are happening, how long the underlying problem has existed beyond the 2-week frame, or whether another condition is shaping the picture. That is why the page also keeps function, item 9, and the item pattern visible beside the total.

  • A total below 10 can still matter when daily functioning is already affected, a few symptoms are rising quickly, or the result feels milder than the lived experience.
  • A total of 10 or higher is a practical cue for fuller review, not proof of major depressive disorder.
  • The provisional pattern cue is a structured flag that follows PHQ-style rules, but it still cannot rule out bipolar symptoms, grief, medical illness, medication effects, or substance-related causes.
  • A non-zero item 9 answer always deserves direct follow-up, even if the total stays in the mild or moderate range.
  • A prior-score comparison is strongest when both totals came from complete PHQ-9 assessments under similar conditions.

If you want one simple reading order, use this sequence: total score, severity band, function item, item 9, then top symptom drivers. That order keeps the score in context and prevents two common mistakes: dismissing a low total too quickly or treating a higher total as a finished diagnosis.

The change cue is especially helpful in follow-up. A 5-point shift is widely used as a meaningful benchmark in PHQ-9 monitoring, which is why this page marks those changes more strongly than smaller moves. Even so, smaller changes should not be ignored when the same items keep returning, the function item worsens, or the patient story suggests the score is only part of the problem.

Worked Examples

A mild total with noticeable daily impact

A person answers 2 for low interest, 2 for low mood, 1 for sleep change, 1 for low energy, and 0 on the remaining symptom items. The total is 6, which sits in the mild band. If the function item is marked Very difficult, the result should not be brushed off as a trivial score. The symptom burden is technically mild on the scale, but daily life is already being disrupted enough to justify follow-up.

A follow-up screen that shows real improvement

A previous PHQ-9 total of 16 is entered and the current answers sum to 11. The page marks a 5-point drop, which it treats as a meaningful improvement cue. That is useful progress, but the person is still in the moderate band and still above the common 10-point threshold. The practical next step is not to stop reading at the improvement label, but to see which symptoms improved and which ones continue to drive the score.

Why item 9 should not be buried in the total

Another person scores 7 overall, with several 1-point answers and item 9 marked Several days. The total stays in the mild band, yet the page surfaces direct human follow-up because item 9 is above zero. That is the right reading. The PHQ-9 total is still valid, but the immediate interpretive priority is the specific item 9 response, not the fact that the total is below 10.

FAQ

Does a PHQ-9 score of 10 or more mean I have depression?

No. It is a common screening threshold that supports fuller review. Diagnosis still depends on clinical assessment and the wider context behind the symptoms.

Why is the daily-function question not included in the total?

Because the PHQ-9 total is defined by the nine symptom items only. The function question adds important context about impairment, but it is interpreted beside the score rather than added into it.

What does the page's probable pattern cue mean?

It is a structured screening flag based on the PHQ-style symptom-count rule, the need for one core depressive symptom, item 9 counting if present at all, and at least some functional difficulty. It helps organize follow-up, but it is not a diagnosis.

Should I enter an older score from memory?

Usually no. The comparison is most trustworthy when the earlier number came from another complete PHQ-9 using the same 2-week frame. Memory estimates can make the change label look more precise than it is.

Where do my answers go when I use this page?

The assessment is scored in the browser and there is no separate tool-specific server-side assessment step, but copied exports, saved files, and shared links can still preserve the result. Treat them as sensitive mental-health information.

Glossary

PHQ-9
A nine-item questionnaire that measures depressive symptom frequency during the last 2 weeks.
Severity band
The named score range such as mild, moderate, or severe used to frame the 0 to 27 total.
Function item
The separate question about how difficult the symptoms make work, home responsibilities, or relationships.
Item 9
The PHQ-9 question about thoughts of being better off dead or hurting yourself in some way. Any non-zero answer needs direct follow-up.
Baseline score
An earlier complete PHQ-9 total entered for comparison with the current result.

References