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PHQ-9
¨ The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is a commonly used,
brief, reliable, and validated screening tool for depression.
¤ Specifically, it is the depression module of the larger Patient
Health Questionnaire (PHQ), which is actually the self- administered version of the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders Patient Health Questionnaire (PRIME-MD PHQ) created by Pfizer Inc.
¨ Although first developed in 1999 for adults, research on the
PHQ-9 has since demonstrated its applicability to adolescents.
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PHQ-9A and PHQ-2/PHQ-3
¨ The PHQ-9A is a lightly modified version of the PHQ-9 for
adolescents ages 12 to 18.
¤ It contains 9 questions and takes 2-3 minutes to complete. ¤ It is available in paper format as a clinical interview or self-
administered tool.
¨ The first two questions of the PHQ-9 are commonly referred to as the
PHQ-2 and can be used as a pre-screening tool to determine if the remaining questions of the PHQ-9 are necessary. The PHQ-3 includes the last question of the PHQ-9 to inquire about suicide risk.
¤ Therefore, the same practice applies to the PHQ-9A, where the
PHQ-2/PHQ-3 can be used to determine if the full PHQ-9A should be administered.
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Using the PHQ-2/PHQ-3 and PHQ-9A
To administer the PHQ-2/PHQ-3, ask these questions to the adolescent:
How often have you been bothered by each of the following symptoms during the past two weeks? 1) Feeling down, depressed, irritable, or hopeless? Not at all, Several days, More than half the days, Nearly every day 2) Little interest or pleasure in doing things? Not at all, Several days, More than half the days, Nearly every day For the PHQ-3, add the following question: Thoughts that you would be better off dead, or of hurting yourself in some way? Not at all, Several days, More than half the days, Nearly every day
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Using the PHQ-2/PHQ-3 and PHQ-9A
¨ If the adolescent screens positive for depression with
the PHQ-2, the additional 7 questions of the PHQ-9A are warranted.
¨ When using the PHQ-3: If the adolescent endorses
suicide risk, administer Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) or Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ).
¨ When using the PHQ-2/PHQ-3: To administer the full
PHQ-9A, ask the remaining 7 items (questions 3-9).
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Using the PHQ-2/PHQ-3 and PHQ-9A
How often have you been bothered by each of the following symptoms during the past two weeks? 3) Trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or sleeping too much? Not at all, Several days, More than half the days, Nearly every day 4) Poor appetite, weight loss, or overeating? Not at all, Several days, More than half the days, Nearly every day 5) Feeling tired, or having little energy? Not at all, Several days, More than half the days, Nearly every day 6) Feeling bad about yourself – or feeling that you are a failure, or that you have let yourself or your family down? Not at all, Several days, More than half the days, Nearly every day 7) Trouble concentrating on things like school work, reading, or watching TV? Not at all, Several days, More than half the days, Nearly every day 8) Moving or speaking so slowly that other people could have noticed? Or the opposite – being so fidgety or restless that you were moving around a lot more than usual? Not at all, Several days, More than half the days, Nearly every day 9) Thoughts that you would be better off dead,
- r of hurting yourself in some way?
Not at all, Several days, More than half the days, Nearly every day
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Scoring and Interpreting the PHQ-2
¨ The PHQ-2 consists of two questions, each with the same five
answer choices:
¤ “Not at all” = 0 ¤ “Several days” = 1 ¤ “More than half the days” = 2 ¤ “Nearly every day” = 3 ¨ If the adolescent scores a 2 or 3 to either question, this is a
positive screen and the practitioner should ask the remaining questions of the PHQ-9A to further assess for depression.
¨ If the adolescent answers “0” or “1” to both questions, this is a
negative screen and no further depression assessment is necessary.
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