What if item 9 is positive?

Assess suicide risk immediately and follow emergency / psychiatric protocols.

PHQ-9 Depression Score

Medical context

Screen and monitor depression symptom severity with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9.

Primary and hospital medicine teams use this for everyday internal medicine workflows.

This page explains the PHQ-9 formula, how to interpret the output, known limitations, and peer-reviewed references so you can verify results against primary sources and local protocols.

It is grouped under General Medicine because everyday internal medicine calculators.

How to use this calculator

Enter the values requested by the PHQ-9 calculator using the units shown beside each field.
Review the calculated result and read the interpretation section before acting on the output.
Check limitations and references if the result will change management, dosing, or disposition.
Use the related calculators section when you need supporting values (for example electrolytes, weight, or complementary risk scores).

Calculator

1. Little interest or pleasure in doing things

2. Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless

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

4. Feeling tired or having little energy

5. Poor appetite or overeating

6. Feeling bad about yourself — or that you are a failure

7. Trouble concentrating on things

8. Moving or speaking slowly / being fidgety or restless

9. Thoughts that you would be better off dead, or of hurting yourself

Result

0 / 27

None–minimal

PHQ-9 over the last 2 weeks. Item 9 positive requires safety assessment.

Educational use only. Confirm results with clinical judgment, primary sources, and local protocols. Not a substitute for professional medical advice. Full disclaimer.

Formula

Nine items scored 0–3; total 0–27.

Interpretation

5 mild, 10 moderate, 15 moderately severe, 20 severe. Positive item 9 requires safety assessment.

Limitations

Screening tool — not a standalone diagnosis. Follow local mental-health pathways.

Frequently asked questions

What if item 9 is positive?: Assess suicide risk immediately and follow emergency / psychiatric protocols.
Is the PHQ-9 result enough to make a treatment decision?: No. Calculators support medical decision-making but do not replace examination, shared decision-making, institutional protocols, or consultant input when stakes are high.
Does Calcmedical store the values I type in?: Inputs are processed in your browser for this session. We do not ask for patient names or medical record numbers. See our privacy policy for hosting and analytics details.

References

Kroenke K et al. PHQ-9. J Gen Intern Med.