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What is a PHQ 9 score

Author

Ava White

Updated on April 09, 2026

PHQ-9 ScoreDepression Severity5 – 9Mild10 – 14Moderate15 – 19Moderately Severe20 – 27Severe

What does PHQ-9 score mean?

PHQ-9 Depression Severity. Scores of 5, 10, 15, and 20 represent cutpoints for mild, moderate, moderately severe and severe depression, respectively. Sensitivity to change has also been confirmed.

What is a high depression score?

0 to 4 points:No depression5 to 9 points:Mild depression10 to 14 points:Moderate depression15 to 19 points:Moderately severe depression20 to 27 points:Severe depression

What does a PHQ-9 score of 9 mean?

Using the MHP reinterview as the criterion standard, a PHQ-9 score ≥10 had a sensitivity of 88% and a specificity of 88% for major depression. PHQ-9 scores of 5, 10, 15, and 20 represented mild, moderate, moderately severe, and severe depression, respectively.

What does a PHQ score of 15 mean?

Thus, the total PHQ-15 score ranges from 0 to 30 and scores of ≥5, ≥10, ≥15 represent mild, moderate and severe levels of somatization. The reliability and validity of the PHQ-15 are high in clinical and occupational health care settings [2, 7, 11].

What is the difference between Phq 2 and PHQ-9?

The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-2 and PHQ-9 are commonly used and validated screening tools. The PHQ-2 has a 97 percent sensitivity and 67 percent specificity in adults, whereas the PHQ-9 has a 61 percent sensitivity and 94 percent specificity in adults.

What is a negative PHQ-9?

The PHQ-9 has 9 questions with a score ranging from 0 to 3 for each question (maximum score of 27). A threshold score of 10 or higher is considered to indicate mild major depression, 15 or higher indicates moderate major depression, and 20 or higher severe major depression.

Is PHQ-9 subjective or objective?

The higher the score of each test, the better objective cognition in that area. Patients rated their depression severity by using the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the official Thai version21. PHQ-9 scores range from 0 to 30. The higher the PHQ-9 scores, the more severe the depression.

How reliable is the PHQ-9?

The diagnostic validity of the 9-item PHQ-9 was established in studies involving 8 primary care and 7 obstetrical clinics. PHQ-9 scores > 10 had a sensitivity of 88% and a specificity of 88% for Major Depressive Disorder. Reliability and validity of the tool have indicated it has sound psychometric properties.

What does a doctor do with a PHQ-9?

The PHQ-9 is a simple, nine question form used to screen depression and monitor changes in signs/symptoms of depression. The patient’s PHQ-9 score should be recorded at the beginning of a visit, like blood pressure or other vitals.

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When should the PHQ-9 Be Used?

The PHQ-9 recommends that patients newly diagnosed with depression or those in current treatment for depression be screened at baseline and at regular intervals (e.g. every 2 weeks) or at their next scheduled appointment.

Whats the highest score you can get on the depression test?

The total score is obtained by adding up the scores for each item (range: 0–63 points) to reflect the severity levels: 0–10 points for “not depressed”, 11–17 points for “mild to moderately depressed”, and 18–63 points for “clinically relevant depression”.

What is the age range for the PHQ-9?

The PHQ 2 and 9 are appropriate to be used with individuals 12 years of age and older.

Who can administer a PHQ-9?

The case manager or other healthcare professional may administer the simple and effective Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) with proven validity and reliability.

Is Phq-9 diagnostic?

The PHQ-9 works well as a screening but not diagnostic instrument for depressive disorder | Evidence-Based Mental Health.

Who can use the PHQ-9?

The PHQ 2 and 9 are appropriate to be used with individuals 12 years of age and older. Alternative screening tools have been developed and validated for use among special populations including youth and older adults.

What is considered a positive Phq 2 score?

Interpretation: A PHQ-2 score ranges from 0-6. The authors identified a score of 3 as the optimal cutpoint when using the PHQ-2 to screen for depression. If the score is 3 or greater, major depressive disorder is likely.

What is considered a positive depression screening?

A score of ≥10 on the PHQ-9 is considered a positive depression screening and warrants an intervention (eg, diagnosis, referral, pharmacotherapy management).

How is the gad7 scored?

The GAD-7 score is calculated by assigning scores of 0, 1, 2, and 3, to the response categories of “not at all,” “several days,” “more than half the days,” and “nearly every day,” respectively, and then adding together the scores for the seven questions. GAD-7 total score for the seven items ranges from 0 to 21.

What are PHQ and GAD scores?

PHQ-9 Depression Severity Scores represent: 0-5 mild. 6-10 moderate. 11-15 moderately severe anxiety. 15-21 moderately severe.

What does the PHQ measure?

PHQ-9 stands for Patient Health Questionnaire. Your PHQ-9 score determines the severity of the depression according to the diagnostic criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Can you bill for a Phq 2?

PHQ-2 may not be billed. Substance use assessment Annually beginning at 11 years of age; use of brief screening tool is recommended. only when a standardized screening tool is used and results documented. … may be billed only when a standardized screening tool is used and results documented.

Do you have to cite the PHQ-9?

It seems that the PHQ-9 can be used freely for research, but as with any scale you use, you always need to acknowledge the creators.

Why is the PHQ-9 good?

PHQ-9 showed good reliability and validity, and higher adaptability for patients with MDD in a psychiatric hospital sample. It is a simple, rapid, effective, and reliable measurement tool to screen depression and evaluate the severity of depression.

What is police Phq?

The Background Review System / Personal History Questionnaire (PHQ) is designed to help law enforcement and other public safety agencies carry out background investigations more efficiently and cost-effectively.

What are the PHQ-9 Questions?

  • Little interest or pleasure in doing things? …
  • Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless? …
  • Trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleeping too much? …
  • Feeling tired or having little energy? …
  • Poor appetite or overeating? …
  • Feeling bad about yourself — or that you are a failure or have let yourself or your family down?

What is the PHQ-9 and GAD 7?

The Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item depression scale (PHQ-9) and 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7) are among the best validated and most commonly used depression and anxiety measures, respectively.

Can the PHQ-9 be used with teens?

9. Thoughts that you would be better off dead, or of hurting yourself in some way? The Patient Health Questionnaire Modified for Teens (PHQ-Modified) can be used with patients between the ages of 12 and 18 and takes less than five minutes to complete and score.

Is the PHQ-9 used for children?

A study has looked at the usability of the PHQ-9 in an adolescent population (13-17 year olds) and concluded it is an excellent tool for screening depression with this age range in primary care settings (Richardson et al. (2010).

Can the PHQ-9 be used with adolescents?

A diagnostic tool for mental health disorders for use in screening adolescents.

Can you bill for PHQ-9?

CPT Code 96127 (brief emotional /behavioral assessment) can be billed for a variety of screening tools, including the PHQ-9 for depression, as well as other standardized screens for ADHD, anxiety, substance abuse, eating disorders, suicide risk • For depression, use in conjunction with the ICD-10 diagnosis code Z13.