Clinician tool

PHQ-9 depression measure

Administer the PHQ-9 in session or hand the device to the client, score it against the published severity bands, and track each client's trajectory across sessions. Item 9 triggers a same-day safety prompt.

For clinical use by licensed professionals.This page is an administration and scoring aid for use within a clinical assessment — it is not a self-diagnosis tool, and a score alone never establishes or rules out a diagnosis. If you're here for yourself rather than a client, use the self-guided screeners and talk with a licensed provider about the result.

Stays on this device. Everything you enter here is saved only in this browser (IndexedDB) and is never sent to Meridian or any server — it works offline. Because entries can include client information, use a private, encrypted device, and clear or export to your EHR when you're done. This is a scratchpad, not the medical record of truth.

AI-assisted — clinician review required.Prompts, checklists, and any suggested language here are a scaffold, not clinical advice. Confirm accuracy, apply your professional judgment, and follow your agency's policies and NH statute before anything enters the record.

This administration

Client code

Initials or chart code only — never a full name or DOB.

Date administered

Context note (optional)

e.g. session 6, post med change

Score & interpretation

0 of 9 items answered

0 / 27

Answer every item for a valid total and severity interpretation.

To save: answer all items and enter a client code.

Trend across sessions

Loading saved administrations…

Using the PHQ-9 in measurement-based care

PHQ-9 severity bands
Score	Severity	Published guidance
0–4	Minimal	Minimal or no depressive symptoms. Monitor; no treatment typically indicated.
5–9	Mild	Mild symptoms. Watchful waiting; consider repeat screening and supportive counseling.
10–14	Moderate	Moderate symptoms. Consider a treatment plan: psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, or both.
15–19	Moderately severe	Moderately severe. Active treatment with pharmacotherapy and/or psychotherapy warranted.
20–27	Severe	Severe symptoms. Prompt initiation of treatment; consider expedited specialty referral.

Interpreting change: A change of 5 or more points is considered clinically significant (Kroenke 2001; McMillan 2010). A drop of 50% or more from the initial score is conventionally treated as treatment response, and a score below 5 as remission.
Re-administration cadence: Re-administer every 2–4 weeks during active treatment — many settings score it at every visit. Expect measurable change over 4–6 weeks of adequate treatment before adjusting the plan.
Administration notes: Any endorsement of item 9 (thoughts of death or self-harm) warrants a direct safety conversation the same day, regardless of the total score.
The total score supports severity and monitoring; the diagnosis of major depression still requires clinical interview against DSM-5 criteria.
Ask the functional-impact question — a high score with no functional impairment reads differently than the same score with severe impairment.
Source: Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JBW. The PHQ-9: validity of a brief depression severity measure. J Gen Intern Med. 2001. Public domain.

Meridian Mental Health

Clinical screening form

For clinical use — retain with the record

PHQ-9 — Patient Health Questionnaire-9

Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by any of the following problems?

Client name

Date of birth

Aug 20, 2026Date administered

Clinician

Meridian does not collect client-identifying information on screen — complete this section by hand.

#	Item	Not at all	Several days	More than half the days	Nearly every day
1	Little interest or pleasure in doing things	(0)	(1)	(2)	(3)
2	Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless	(0)	(1)	(2)	(3)
3	Trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleeping too much	(0)	(1)	(2)	(3)
4	Feeling tired or having little energy	(0)	(1)	(2)	(3)
5	Poor appetite or overeating	(0)	(1)	(2)	(3)
6	Feeling bad about yourself — or that you are a failure or have let yourself or your family down	(0)	(1)	(2)	(3)
7	Trouble concentrating on things, such as reading the newspaper or watching television	(0)	(1)	(2)	(3)
8	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	(0)	(1)	(2)	(3)
9	Thoughts that you would be better off dead, or of hurting yourself in some way *	(0)	(1)	(2)	(3)

* Safety-flagged item — see note below.

Functional impact

If you checked off any problems, how difficult have these made it to do your work, take care of things at home, or get along with other people?

Not difficult at allSomewhat difficultVery difficultExtremely difficult

* Safety-flagged item

A response above 0 on the marked item warrants a direct safety assessment (ideation, plan, intent, access to means) regardless of the total score. If risk is imminent, call or text 988, or call 911.

Total score / 27

Severity

(0/9 answered on screen — score by hand)

Severity key
Score	Severity	Guidance
0–4	Minimal	Minimal or no depressive symptoms. Monitor; no treatment typically indicated.
5–9	Mild	Mild symptoms. Watchful waiting; consider repeat screening and supportive counseling.
10–14	Moderate	Moderate symptoms. Consider a treatment plan: psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, or both.
15–19	Moderately severe	Moderately severe. Active treatment with pharmacotherapy and/or psychotherapy warranted.
20–27	Severe	Severe symptoms. Prompt initiation of treatment; consider expedited specialty referral.

Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JBW. The PHQ-9: validity of a brief depression severity measure. J Gen Intern Med. 2001. Public domain.

This form is a scoring aid, not a diagnosis. A score alone never establishes or rules out a clinical diagnosis — interpret alongside clinical judgment. Printed Aug 20, 2026 from Meridian Mental Health.

You might also find helpful…

GAD-7 anxiety measure

Administer and score the GAD-7 with severity interpretation and per-client trend tracking across sessions.

Open

PCL-5 PTSD measure

Administer and score the PCL-5 with DSM-5 cluster scoring, provisional-diagnosis criteria, and per-client trend tracking across sessions.

Open

Session check-in

Quick start-of-session form: mood, sleep, substance use since last visit, and the client's agenda items.

Open

Session check-ins — by age & style

A library of ready-to-use, age-banded session openers — young children, adolescents, adults, older adults — each with a suggested flow. Browse on screen or print one straight from its card.

Open