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This self-assessment Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) , was originally developed by Robert L. Spitzer, Janet B.W. Williams, Kurt Kroenke, and colleagues . TraitProfiler provides an interactive digital version for educational, informational, and self-exploration purposes only.

Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)

Background

The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) is one of the most widely used self-report screening instruments for identifying symptoms associated with depression and emotional distress.
The PHQ-9 was developed to help measure the frequency and severity of depressive symptoms commonly experienced in everyday emotional, cognitive, physical, and psychological functioning.
The questionnaire focuses on mood symptoms, loss of interest, fatigue, sleep difficulties, appetite changes, concentration problems, self-worth, psychomotor changes, and suicidal thoughts commonly associated with depressive disorders.

Psychological Domains Measured

Loss of Interest and Pleasure
Measures reduced enjoyment, emotional disengagement, and loss of interest in everyday activities.
Depressed Mood
Measures sadness, hopelessness, emotional distress, and depressed emotional functioning.
Sleep Difficulties
Measures insomnia, disrupted sleep patterns, oversleeping, and nighttime restlessness.
Fatigue and Low Energy
Measures tiredness, exhaustion, reduced motivation, and low emotional or physical energy.
Appetite Changes
Measures appetite loss, overeating, emotional eating, and changes in normal eating behavior.
Low Self-Worth and Guilt
Measures feelings of failure, guilt, self-criticism, and reduced self-esteem.
Concentration Difficulties
Measures attention problems, distractibility, reduced focus, and cognitive concentration difficulties.
Psychomotor Changes
Measures slowed behavior, restlessness, agitation, and noticeable changes in movement or speech activity.
Suicidal Thoughts
Measures hopelessness, thoughts about death, self-harm thoughts, and suicidal thinking.
The PHQ-9 is commonly used in psychology, psychiatry, healthcare, counseling, primary care, and research settings. The questionnaire is intended as a screening instrument and should not be used as a standalone diagnostic tool.

Procedure

This questionnaire is designed to be completed by adults and adolescents based on their recent emotional and psychological experiences during the past two weeks.

Participants select the response option that best describes how often they have experienced each symptom or emotional difficulty.

The assessment focuses on depressive symptoms, emotional well-being, sleep, appetite, concentration, motivation, and suicidal thoughts during recent functioning.

Participation

This assessment is intended for educational, screening, and research purposes only.

Results should not be considered a clinical diagnosis or substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric, or medical evaluation.

Individuals experiencing severe emotional distress, hopelessness, suicidal thoughts, or major impairment in daily functioning are strongly encouraged to seek support from a qualified mental health professional or healthcare provider.

Scoring & Interpretation

Responses are scored on a 0–3 scale according to symptom frequency.

Higher scores generally indicate stronger depressive symptoms, emotional distress, fatigue, cognitive difficulties, hopelessness, and functional impairment.

The PHQ-9 is commonly used as a screening tool to help identify individuals who may benefit from additional psychological or psychiatric evaluation.

Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) Questionnaire

Instructions & Terms

Below is the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), a digitally adapted 9- items self-assessment questionnaire. This assessment does not provide a clinical diagnosis, medical determination, or substitute for professional psychological evaluation.

Question 1 of 9 Loss of Interest and Pleasure

Little interest or pleasure in doing things.


Question 2 of 9 Depressed Mood

Feeling down, depressed or hopeless.


Question 3 of 9 Sleep Difficulties

Trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or sleeping too much.


Question 4 of 9 Fatigue and Low Energy

Feeling tired or having little energy.


Question 5 of 9 Appetite Changes

Poor appetite or overeating.


Question 6 of 9 Low Self-Worth and Guilt

Feeling bad about yourself - or that you’re a failure or have let yourself or your family down.


Question 7 of 9 Concentration Difficulties

Trouble concentrating on things, such as reading the newspaper or watching television.


Question 8 of 9 Psychomotor Changes

Moving or speaking so slowly that other people could have noticed. Or, the opposite - being so fidgety or restless that you have been moving around a lot more than usual.


Question 9 of 9 Suicidal Thoughts

Thoughts that you would be better off dead or of hurting yourself in some way.




Psychometric Norms

1
Participants
67%
Community Mean
0%
Sample SD
67%
Highest Observed Score
67%
Lowest Observed Score
2026–2026
Collection Period

Current normative data for theCurrent normative data for the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) are derived from 1 anonymous participant responses collected through TraitProfiler between 2026 and 2026. All response data are collected anonymously and are intended exclusively for educational, psychometric, and non-commercial research purposes.

Sources
  1. Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. W. The PHQ-9: Validity of a brief depression severity measure.