The PHQ-9 asks nine questions about the last two weeks. Its total, from 0 to 27, screens for depression and tracks how severe it is over time. Answer the questions to score it, see what each band means, and record the result with the free template.
PHQ-9 result template
FreePHQ-9 RESULT Date: [Date] Patient: [Name or ID, age] Completed by: [Patient on paper, patient online, or read aloud by clinician; interpreter if used] Reason: [Screening, follow-up of known depression, or treatment review] SCORES Items 1 to 9: [Score for each item, 0 to 3] Total: [0 to 27] Band: [Minimal, mild, moderate, moderately severe, or severe] Item 9: [Score, and the risk assessment done if above 0] Difficulty, item 10: [Not difficult at all, somewhat, very, or extremely difficult] TREND Previous scores: [Dates and totals] Change from baseline: [Points and percent; response or remission if it applies] CLINICAL PICTURE Interview findings: [What the conversation added: duration, impairment, other causes considered] Impression: [Working diagnosis or screen result] PLAN Next step: [Watch and repeat, start or change treatment, refer] Repeat PHQ-9: [Date or interval] Clinician: [Name, credentials]
Every item as published. The total and what it means update with each answer; nothing you choose leaves this page.
Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by any of the following problems?
Use it for
The patient answers on paper, online, or aloud; the questions cover the last two weeks.
Avoid: Rewording the items as you read them. Small changes in wording change how people answer.
Each of the nine items scores 0 to 3; add them for a total from 0 to 27.
Avoid: Leaving item 9 unread because the total is low. A low total can hide a positive item 9.
The band gives the likely severity; the interview confirms it.
Avoid: Diagnosing major depression from the total alone.
Any answer above 0 means the patient has had thoughts of death or self-harm; follow up the same day.
Avoid: Treating item 9 as a yes or no for suicide. Many people who answer above 0 have passive thoughts only; the assessment tells them apart.
Repeat the PHQ-9 at follow-up visits to see whether treatment is working.
Each one follows the recording template. Use them to judge how much to write.
Family practice, annual visit, completed on a tablet in the waiting room
Items 1 to 9: 2, 2, 3, 2, 1, 2, 1, 0, 0. Total 13, moderate. Item 9: 0. Difficulty: very difficult.
PHQ-2 of 1 last year. No earlier PHQ-9.
44-year-old man. Low mood and poor sleep for about 3 months since a layoff; still working part-time but avoiding friends. No past episodes of depression or mania. No alcohol increase. Thyroid tests normal in the spring. Impression: major depressive disorder, single episode, moderate.
Discussed options; he chose therapy first. Referral to a counselor, with a sleep plan. Repeat PHQ-9 in 4 weeks; discuss medication if it hasn’t fallen by then.
Telehealth follow-up, 8 weeks after starting sertraline
Items 1 to 9: 2, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 0, 1. Total 12, moderate. Item 9: 1, several days. Difficulty: somewhat difficult.
Baseline 19 on September 8. Now 12, a 37% fall: improving, not yet a response.
29-year-old woman on sertraline 50 mg for 8 weeks. Item 9 followed up the same visit: passive thoughts that it would be easier not to wake up, a few nights in the past two weeks. No plan, intent, or past attempts. No firearms at home. Protective factors: her partner, her dog, and her work. Impression: passive ideation, no plan or intent.
Safety plan reviewed and updated, with 988 for a crisis. Sertraline raised to 100 mg. Referral to therapy. Repeat PHQ-9 in 4 weeks, sooner if worse.
A total of 6 with item 9 at 1 still needs the same-day risk assessment. Read item 9 every time.
The PHQ-9 screens and measures. Confirm the diagnosis in the interview, and rule out other causes.
Item scores show which symptoms are driving the total, and item 9 must be visible on its own.
One score is a snapshot. Repeat it at follow-up, and change the plan when it hasn’t moved.
Vero Scribe records the PHQ-9 result in your template from the visit, with the patient’s consent, or from your dictation: the scores, the trend, item 9 and what you did about it. You review and edit every line, then copy it into your record. Vero works in 60+ languages.
Each of the nine items scores 0 for not at all, 1 for several days, 2 for more than half the days, and 3 for nearly every day. Add them for a total from 0 to 27. Item 10, on difficulty, is not added.
A total of 10 or more is the usual screening cutoff for likely major depression. The bands are 0 to 4 minimal, 5 to 9 mild, 10 to 14 moderate, 15 to 19 moderately severe, and 20 to 27 severe. The diagnosis still comes from a clinical interview.
Assess suicide risk the same day: thoughts, plans, intent, past attempts, access to means, and protective factors. Record the assessment and the plan, including a safety plan when needed. The 988 crisis line takes calls and texts.
The PHQ-2 is the first two items of the PHQ-9, on low interest and low mood. It’s a quick first screen; a score of 3 or more is followed by the full PHQ-9.
Yes. No permission is needed to reproduce or use it, and the official versions and translations are on the PHQ Screeners site. The recording template on this page is free to copy or download too.
Two questions on interest and mood: a quick first screen for depression, scored 0 to 6.
Seven questions on worry and tension: anxiety screening and severity, scored 0 to 21.
Up to six questions on suicidal thoughts and behavior; the highest yes sets low, moderate, or high risk.
Twenty items on the past month: PTSD screening and symptom tracking, scored 0 to 80.
Ten self-report items on the past 7 days: depression screening in pregnancy and after birth, scored 0 to 30.
For a positive item 9: ideation, plan, intent, means, and the formulation.
Goal by goal, with scores over time.
Common codes for depression and anxiety.
Every tool, by area, with what its scores mean.
Vero records scores, findings, and plans in the templates you choose, so you review instead of type.
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