PHQ-9 and PHQ-2: mood
Nine questions about how often mood symptoms were present over the last two weeks, published by Kroenke, Spitzer and Williams in 2001 and used worldwide. The first two questions, scored on their own, are the PHQ-2. Each answer carries the points the authors gave it, the total runs from 0 to 27, and the result shows what the authors say about that score. A score can be kept with its date, so a later score sits beside the earlier one.
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The mood and depression page lists the options EBL grades for it, free to read.
The questionnaire
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What the score means, in the authors’ words
Scores run from 0 to 27.
- 0 to 4: Below 5, the lowest of the cut-points the authors described: 5, 10, 15 and 20 for mild, moderate, moderately severe and severe depression.
- 5 to 9: The range the authors described as mild depression.
- 10 to 14: The range the authors described as moderate depression. Against a mental health professional's interview, a score of 10 or more had a sensitivity of 88% and a specificity of 88% for major depression.
- 15 to 19: The range the authors described as moderately severe depression.
- 20 to 27: The range the authors described as severe depression.
- PHQ-2 (questions 1 and 2), scored 0 to 6: 0 to 2: Below 3, the cut-point the authors identified for screening. 3 to 6: At or above 3, the cut-point the authors identified as best for screening: sensitivity 83% and specificity 92% for major depression.
The PHQ-9 was validated in 6,000 patients in primary care and obstetrics-gynecology clinics, 580 of whom were also interviewed by a mental health professional. The PHQ-2 was tested in the same patients. The two dashes in questions 6 and 8 are printed here as commas, under this site's typography; the words are unchanged.
The PHQ-9 is a questionnaire. It counts how often symptoms were present; a diagnosis of depression is made by a clinician.
Related on EBL
- Mood and depression: the options EBL grades for it, with their letters
Source and terms of use
- Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JB. The PHQ-9: validity of a brief depression severity measure. J Gen Intern Med. 2001;16(9):606-613. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1525-1497.2001.016009606.x
- Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JB. The Patient Health Questionnaire-2: validity of a two-item depression screener. Med Care. 2003;41(11):1284-1292. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.MLR.0000093487.78664.3C
Terms of use: Developed by Drs. Robert L. Spitzer, Janet B.W. Williams, Kurt Kroenke and colleagues, with an educational grant from Pfizer Inc. No permission required to reproduce, translate, display or distribute. (as stated here, checked 2026-11). The questions, answers and points are reproduced as published.
How it works
Where the questions, points and cut-off come from
The questions, the answers and the points for each answer are the authors’ own, reproduced as published, and the source papers are listed with the questionnaire. The page adds them up and prints, beside the total, the authors’ own words about that range of scores. EBL adds no interpretation of its own.
A kept score is stored with its date. Kept scores are listed by date with the change from the one before. A change shows what moved, not why.
What happens to your data
Nothing you enter leaves this device. Your answers and any score you keep are saved in this browser’s own storage, nothing is sent to EBL or anyone else, and signing in does not copy them to your account. Because EBL holds no copy, clearing this browser’s site data removes them for good.