Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)
Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JBW (2001). J Gen Intern Med 16(9):606–613. 9 questions · about 2 minutes · adults 18+. The most widely used depression screen in primary care worldwide. Reproduced unmodified; scored exactly to the published key.
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- What this is: a screening instrument. Each item asks how often you've been bothered by a specific issue over the last two weeks.
- What this is not: a diagnosis. Sleep, thyroid, grief, medications, life circumstances, and many medical conditions can produce identical patterns. Only a clinician who knows your history can tell the difference.
- Privacy: your answers stay in this browser, on this device. They never enter your Portrait, your account, or any cross-test reading.
- Item 9 asks about thoughts of self-harm. If you're in distress right now, the resources below are more useful than this questionnaire.
A screener is not the right tool for an active crisis. If thoughts of self-harm are present and feel urgent, please reach out to a real person who can help:
- Canada / US: Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) — free, 24/7.
- UK / ROI: Samaritans 116 123 — free, 24/7.
- Other countries: findahelpline.com lists vetted lines by country.
- Anywhere: your local emergency number, or going to an ER, is always an option.
The PHQ-9 is part of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) developed by Drs. Kurt Kroenke and Robert Spitzer with an educational grant from Pfizer Inc. No permission is required to reproduce, translate, display, or distribute it. Wrenlight presents the instrument unmodified and applies the published scoring key transparently. This page is informational and is not medical advice; no health information from this page is transmitted to or stored by Wrenlight.