What tests are done to diagnose depression?

Common Screenings The most common depression screening tool is the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). It indicates whether an individual has symptoms of depression that may require professional intervention.

How do you screen a patient for depression?

The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)–2 and PHQ-9 are the most commonly used adult depression screening tools and demonstrate clinical utility and diagnostic accuracy.

What is a PHQ test?

MEASUREMENTS. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) is a self-administered version of the PRIME-MD diagnostic instrument for common mental disorders. The PHQ-9 is the depression module, which scores each of the 9 DSM-IV criteria as “0” (not at all) to “3” (nearly every day).

What is a normal depression score?

0 to 4 points: No depression
5 to 9 points: Mild depression
10 to 14 points: Moderate depression
15 to 19 points: Moderately severe depression
20 to 27 points: Severe depression

What is the PHQ-2 test?

The PHQ-2 inquires about the frequency of depressed mood and anhedonia over the past two weeks. The PHQ-2 includes the first two items of the PHQ-9. The purpose of the PHQ-2 is to screen for depression in a “first-step” approach.

What is a positive PHQ score?

The PHQ-9 has 9 questions with a score ranging from 0 to 3 for each question (maximum score of 27). A threshold score of 10 or higher is considered to indicate mild major depression, 15 or higher indicates moderate major depression, and 20 or higher severe major depression.

What is a positive Phq 4 score?

Scores are rated as normal (0-2), mild (3-5), moderate (6-8), and severe (9-12). Total score ≥3 for first 2 questions suggests anxiety. Total score ≥3 for last 2 questions suggests depression.

What is a high depression score?