PHQ-9 Depression Test — Free 9-Question Self-Screening

PHQ-9 asks, one by one, about 9 changes that commonly come with depression: loss of interest or pleasure, low mood, changes in sleep, tiredness, changes in appetite, seeing yourself negatively, trouble concentrating, moving slowly or, the opposite, feeling restless, and thoughts of death or self-harm. For each item you choose how often it happened over the past two weeks on four steps scored 0 to 3, and the nine answers add up to a total from 0 to 27.

You will get a more accurate picture if you think back over the whole two weeks rather than just today. For bodily changes such as sleep or appetite, answer according to what actually happened, even if you suspect another cause. This is not an exam with right answers, so there is no need to pick the response that looks best. You simply choose one option per item, which works easily on a phone, and it usually takes about two minutes.

Soundary places your total in five bands, 0–4, 5–9, 10–14, 15–19 and 20–27, to show how strong the depressive symptoms are. Yet the same total can mean different things depending on which items were high. On the results screen, check whether the core items, loss of interest and low mood, are high, or whether bodily items such as sleep, fatigue and appetite make up most of the score. The last item, about thoughts of death or self-harm, is shown separately whenever you endorse it at all, regardless of the total.

Think of the score as a snapshot of where you are right now. Recent circumstances such as all-nighters, exam periods, a bad flu or grief after a loss can push it up, and physical conditions such as thyroid problems can produce similar symptoms. That is why PHQ-9 is a screening tool rather than a diagnosis; a diagnosis is made by a professional through an interview. If you are thinking about harming yourself, contact local emergency services or a crisis line right away, whatever your score.

PHQ-9 was published in 2001 by Kroenke, Spitzer and Williams as a brief measure of depression severity. Its hallmark is that it turns the symptoms listed in the diagnostic criteria for depression directly into nine items, so it can be used within minutes even in a busy clinic. It has since been used widely in primary care, mental health services and research, and it has been translated into many languages so results can be compared on a common yardstick.

Retaking the same test tells you more through the trend than through any single score. If you save your results on Soundary, your next attempt can be compared side by side with the previous one. If you stay in the moderate band or above across several attempts, or if work, study or relationships have clearly become harder regardless of the number, talk to a psychiatrist or counselor. Showing them your results screen makes it much easier to describe the past two weeks.