Synonyms PHQ | LOINC 69723-5 | |
The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) is a multiple-choice self-report inventory copyrighted by Pfizer Inc, that is used as a screening and diagnostic tool for mental health disorders of depression, anxiety, alcohol, eating, and somatoform disorders. It is the self-report version of the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders (PRIME-MD), a diagnostic tool developed in the mid-1990s by Pfizer Inc. Although these tests were originally designed as self-report inventories they can also be administered by trained health care practitioners.
Contents
- Versions
- 9 item depression scale
- 2 item depression screener
- 4 item depression and anxiety screener
- 15 item somatic scale
- Somatic anxiety and depressive symptoms
- References
The PHQ is available in several languages. Both the original Patient Health Questionnaire and later variants are public domain resources; no fees or permissions are required for using or copying the measures.
Versions
The original Patient Health Questionnaire contains five modules; these contain questions about depressive, anxiety, somatoform, alcohol, and eating disorders. Designed for use in the primary care setting, it lacks coverage for disorders seen in psychiatric settings. Some modules are used independently, and variants have been developed based on the original items.
9-item depression scale
The PHQ-9, a tool specific to depression, scores each of the 9 DSM-IV related criteria based on the mood module from the original PRIME-MD. The PHQ-9 is both sensitive and specific in its diagnoses, which has led to its prominence in the primary care setting. This tool is used in a variety of different contexts, including clinical settings across the United States as well as research studies.
One study which used the PHQ-9, examined if college student displays of depression symptoms on Facebook were representative of offline symptoms. Results demonstrated that those who displayed depression symptoms on Facebook scored higher on the PHQ-9, suggesting that those who display depression symptoms on Facebook are experiencing them offline.
2-item depression screener
The Patient Health Questionnaire 2 item (PHQ-2) is an ultra-brief screening instrument containing the first two questions from the PHQ-9. Two screening questions to assess the presence of a depressed mood and a loss of interest or pleasure in routine activities, and a positive response to either question indicates further testing is required. This version of the PHQ has been shown to have good diagnostic sensitivity but poor specificity.
4-item depression and anxiety screener
The Patient Health Questionnaire 4 item (PHQ-4) combines the PHQ-2 with the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 2 (GAD-2), an ultra-brief anxiety screener containing the first two questions from the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7).
15-item somatic scale
The Patient Health Questionnaire 15 item (PHQ-15) contains the PHQ's somatic symptom scale. It is a well-validated measure, which asks whether symptoms are present and about their severity. A brief version, the Somatic Symptom Scale - 8 was derived from PHQ-15.
Somatic, anxiety, and depressive symptoms
The Patient Health Questionnaire - Somatic, Anxiety, and Depressive Symptoms (PHQ-SADS) screens for somatic, anxiety, and depressive symptoms using PHQ-9, GAD-7, and PHQ-15, plus the panic symptoms question from the original PHQ.