Free PHQ-9 + GAD-7 Depression and Anxiety Self-Check

Your PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores in context

Depression and anxiety co-occur in roughly half of all clinical depression cases, and the same is true in the other direction — roughly half of people with a primary anxiety presentation have a secondary depressive one. Looking at both numbers at once gives a fuller picture than either alone: a high PHQ-9 with a low GAD-7 points toward a depression-dominant presentation; a high GAD-7 with a mild PHQ-9 points toward anxiety-dominant; both elevated at once suggests a mixed or comorbid presentation that clinicians are used to seeing and treating together.

Common patterns: high depression with high anxiety is a mixed presentation and one of the most frequent pictures in primary care. High depression with minimal anxiety often reflects classic anhedonia and withdrawal. High anxiety with minimal depression often presents as restlessness, chronic worry, and sleep-onset difficulty. When both are elevated and PHQ-9 item 9 — thoughts of self-harm or of being better off dead — shows anything above 'Not at all', that single item carries more clinical weight than either total score and belongs at the top of any conversation with a clinician.

Both instruments are designed for a two-week retest cadence. The minimum important clinical difference is not the same for the two: on the PHQ-9 it is 5 points, on the GAD-7 it is 4 points. A swing of fewer than those thresholds on a retake is within normal variation, not reliable evidence of change. A swing at or above those thresholds, in either direction, is worth paying attention to — and noting for a clinician. One more thing: a high score on one screen with a low score on the other is still worth a clinical conversation. Clinicians often catch the subclinical condition during the evaluation of the primary one. The two screens together are stronger than either alone.

How to bring this to a clinician

The PHQ-9 and GAD-7 are the two most common screens primary-care clinicians use for depression and anxiety; bringing both at once strengthens the conversation. You do not need to explain what the instruments are. A primary-care doctor, nurse practitioner, therapist, or psychiatrist will recognize both scores immediately and know how to read them together.

What to bring:

• Both scores — your PHQ-9 depression total and your GAD-7 anxiety total; do not isolate one even if the other feels lower-priority
• The items you rated 2 or 3 on either instrument — the item pattern tells a clinician more than the totals do
• Which condition feels more dominant to you, or whether the two feel intertwined — that orientation helps clinicians decide where to begin
• Any medication, substance, or medical change that started in roughly the same two-week window

A two-line opening you can use as-is:

I took the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 at home. My PHQ-9 was [X], my GAD-7 was [Y]. The items that bothered me most were [list]. I'd like to talk about what to do next.

Clinicians often treat depression and anxiety together because the structured therapies and medications that work for one tend to help the other. Sharing both numbers upfront avoids the common scenario where a clinician notes one condition and asks you to take 'the other screen' at a follow-up visit several weeks away. You can print this page or save it as PDF using your browser's print menu — both scores and all items carry through.

If you're reading this with someone who took the test

If you are a partner, parent, or close friend reading these results alongside the person who took the test, this section is addressed to you. When depression and anxiety co-occur, the visible presentation often defaults to whichever condition is loudest in the moment. Anxiety tends to present outwardly — visible agitation, restlessness, a keyed-up quality that others can see. Depression tends to present as withdrawal — quieter, slower, harder to read from outside. The quieter condition often gets overlooked by the people around them, even when it is equally present. Keep both in mind, and resist drawing conclusions from the surface.

Three things consistently help: showing up to appointments, including just driving and waiting outside; helping with logistics that have piled up — particularly the tasks that become unmanageable when fatigue (depression) and decision-paralysis (anxiety) compound each other; and staying patient when the person's energy does not track day to day. Both conditions produce days where functioning looks nearly normal and days where it doesn't. That variability is part of the picture, not inconsistency or manipulation.

Three things that consistently don't help: trying to logically rebut the anxiety by pointing out that the feared outcome is unlikely; offering 'have you tried...' suggestions for either condition; and drawing comparisons to your own stress or to someone else who managed. Both depression and anxiety are patterns the person has thought about at length. What they need from you is presence and practical help.

One specific situation calls for you to act rather than wait: if PHQ-9 item 9 — thoughts of self-harm or of being better off dead — showed any answer above 'Not at all' on their result, that single answer matters more than either total score. Start the conversation calmly and directly: ask whether they have been thinking about hurting themselves, and listen without trying to talk them out of what they feel. If the answer is yes, help them contact a clinician or crisis line today. Asking directly does not plant the idea; it gives them permission to be honest.

Helping make and keep the first clinical appointment is one of the highest-leverage things you can do. Getting there is often the hardest step — and it is one you can make easier.

Other screens you might also take

If you want to track depression or anxiety on its own, or explore related concerns, these single instruments and alternatives are a natural next step.