PHQ-9 questionnaire for symptoms of depression

Diabetes Academy: Resources and Solutions

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sorin Ioacara Sources verified Updated: September 6, 2026

You can answer the nine questions about the last two weeks, and the calculator adds up the points and shows which severity range the score falls into.

1. Little interest or pleasure in doing things
2. Feeling down, depressed or hopeless
3. Trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or sleeping too much
4. Feeling tired or having little energy
5. Poor appetite or, on the contrary, overeating
6. Feeling bad about yourself, that you are a failure or that you have let yourself or your family down
7. Trouble concentrating on things, such as reading or watching television
8. Moving or speaking so slowly that other people noticed or, on the contrary, being so restless that you moved around a lot more than usual
9. Thoughts that you would be better off dead or that you could hurt yourself

The questions refer to the last two weeks. The questionnaire is a tool for orientation, not a diagnosis, and the result is one to discuss with a doctor.

The calculation runs in your browser; no data is sent or stored. The result is for information only and does not replace assessment by your doctor.

What does the PHQ-9 questionnaire measure?

PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire) measures how intense nine symptoms of a depressive episode have been over the last two weeks. Each question is scored from 0 to 3, so the total runs from 0 to 27 [1].

It is a widely used depression questionnaire in primary care because it is short and because its questions are the diagnostic criteria themselves. The authors released it freely, without requiring permission to reproduce or translate it.

What does my PHQ-9 score mean?

The published cutoffs are 5, 10, 15 and 20 points, separating minimal symptoms from mild, moderate, moderately severe and severe depression [1]. The one that matters most in practice is 10.

An individual participant data meta-analysis of more than 17000 participants found, at a cutoff of 10 points, a sensitivity of 88% and a specificity of 85% against the clinical interview [2]. That means a score of 10 or above deserves a conversation with a doctor, not that the diagnosis has already been made.

Why does the PHQ-9 appear on a site about diabetes?

Because depression is roughly twice as common in patients with diabetes, compared with the rest of the population, and care guidelines recommend looking for it actively at routine appointments.

The link runs both ways. Untreated depression makes the daily part of the disease harder, meaning checking blood glucose, taking treatment and turning up for review. Conversely, diabetes that is hard to control sustains the fatigue and the discouragement. A two-minute questionnaire is the most accessible way to put the subject on the table. Anxiety often travels together with depression, and for it there is the GAD-7 questionnaire.

Does a high score mean I have depression?

No. The questionnaire measures symptoms, it does not make the diagnosis. Many states produce high scores without being depression, from a sleep problem or a thyroid disease to a hard stretch of life. The diagnosis is made by a doctor, after a conversation with you.

There is, however, one situation in which the score no longer matters. If you ticked anything on the last question, the one about thoughts that you would be better off dead, talk to someone today, no matter how small the total is. These thoughts are treated urgently.

Glossary terms used here

References

  1. Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JB. The PHQ-9: validity of a brief depression severity measure. J Gen Intern Med. 2001;16(9):606-613. PubMed
  2. Levis B, Benedetti A, Thombs BD. Accuracy of Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for screening to detect major depression: individual participant data meta-analysis. BMJ. 2019;365:l1476. PubMed