Free PHQ-9 Depression Test — Online Self-Check

Your PHQ-9 score in context

The PHQ-9 is a snapshot of two weeks, not a permanent label. Depression symptoms fluctuate — not just between episodes, but within them. A single reading tells you where you were when you answered these nine questions; it doesn't tell you where you will be in four weeks, or where you were six months ago.

When you retake the screen, the number that matters is the change, not the absolute score. The clinical literature uses a minimum important clinical difference of 5 points — that is the threshold researchers and clinicians use to call an improvement (or a worsening) meaningful rather than noise. A swing of 3 or 4 points between two readings usually falls within normal variation on this instrument and isn't reliable evidence that something has shifted. A change of 5 or more points, in either direction, is worth paying attention to.

The instrument was designed to be retaken every two weeks during a monitored period — that cadence gives enough time for real change to accumulate while keeping the observation window tight enough to catch deterioration early. One bad day near the end of your two-week window can pull a score upward; one unusually good week doesn't undo a pattern that has been building for months. That asymmetry is a reason to track across multiple readings rather than making decisions off a single number. If you are seeing a clinician, they will typically look at your score trend over several administrations rather than treating any one result as definitive.

How to bring this to a clinician

The PHQ-9 was designed for exactly this use — handing a clinician a structured snapshot they already know how to read. You don't need to explain what it is. A primary-care doctor, nurse practitioner, therapist, or psychiatrist will recognize the score immediately and know which items contributed.

What to bring:

• The total score (the number on your result above)
• The items you rated 2 (more than half the days) or 3 (nearly every day) — the pattern tells a clinician more than the total does
• How long symptoms at this level have been going on (best guess in weeks or months)
• Any medication, substance, or medical change that started in roughly the same window

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

I took the PHQ-9 at home and scored [X]. The items that bothered me most were [item numbers or short descriptions]. I'd like to talk about what to do next.

Most clinicians will respond by walking through the items with you and asking about duration, function (work, sleep, relationships), and safety. If the appointment is short, asking specifically whether this is something they would want to treat, monitor, or refer out gets the conversation to a decision faster than open-ended questions.

You can print this page or save it as PDF using your browser's print menu — the result, score, and items all carry through.

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

If you are a partner, parent, or close friend reading this result alongside the person who took the test, this section is addressed to you. The most useful thing you can do right now is not interpret the score for them. Ask what they want from you — information, company, help making a call, or just someone to sit with. People in a low period often need those around them to follow, not lead.

Three things consistently help, according to people who have been through depressive episodes: showing up at appointments (even just driving), handling logistics that have piled up (a meal, a form, a phone call they haven't been able to make), and staying present when their energy is lowest — which is precisely when many supporters pull back because they don't know what to say. You don't need to say the right thing. Being there is the thing.

Three things that consistently don't help: unsolicited advice, comparisons to your own experience or anyone else's, and questions starting with have you tried. Depression is not a problem that hasn't been thought about enough. The person who took this screen has almost certainly thought about it a great deal. What they need from you is presence and practical help, not a new angle.

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 — was flagged on their result, the conversation about safety is yours to start, calmly and directly. Ask them plainly whether they have been thinking about hurting themselves. 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.

Other screens you might also take

Some symptoms travel together; if depression isn't the whole picture, these other screens may help fill it in.