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PHQ-A: Adolescent Depression Screener

The PHQ-9 depression screener, reworded for ages 11 to 17. Eight questions about the last two weeks, scored automatically.

8 questions
Ages 11-17
About 2 minutes
Scored instantly
Free & private

Answering for your child? Screeners are often validated for the person with the symptoms to answer themselves. Anxiety and low mood are mostly internal, so a parent answering for a child can be well off in either direction. Have them answer it if you can. Most of all on the last question, which is the one a teen is least likely to have raised with a parent.

What a PHQ-A score can and cannot tell you

The PHQ-A is the PHQ-9 reworded for ages 11 to 17, validated for adolescents answering about themselves.

Clinicians use it with an interview and repeat it over time; the number tracks change, it does not make the diagnosis.

A self-report checklist is a screen, not a diagnosis. Scores here can run higher or lower than a clinician would find, and a clinician would not diagnose from this form alone.

In a crisis right now? Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), text HOME to 741741, or call 911 for an emergency.

About the PHQ-A

PHQ-A stands for Patient Health Questionnaire for Adolescents. It is the PHQ-9, the depression screener most clinicians use, reworded for ages 11 to 17. Two questions change. The one about concentration asks about school work and reading instead of reading the newspaper, and the one about self-harm is written for a younger reader.

This page asks the eight symptom questions and leaves out the ninth, which asks about thoughts of self-harm. That question belongs in a conversation with a clinician who can respond to the answer, not in a form filled in alone. Your teen will still be asked it, by someone who can help, if you come to us for care.

Scoring is straightforward. Each question scores 0 to 3 for the last two weeks, so the total runs from 0 to 24. Under 5 is minimal, 5 to 9 is mild, 10 to 14 is moderate, 15 to 19 is moderately severe, and 20 or higher is severe. A score of 10 or above usually means it is worth talking to a clinician.

The PHQ-A works best when your teen answers it themselves. Sit with them if you like, and bring your own read to a clinician either way, but these questions ask about things a teen may not have said out loud yet. A screening is not a diagnosis, and one hard couple of weeks is not a verdict. What matters is a pattern that sticks around.

If the score says your teen could use support, Emora Health offers online therapy and, where it fits, medication management for teens and young adults. Licensed clinicians, usually within days, and covered by most insurance.

How the PHQ-A is scored

You add the eight answers into one total between 0 and 24, and that total falls into a severity band: minimal (0-4), mild (5-9), moderate (10-14), moderately severe (15-19), or severe (20 and up). Every question asks about the last two weeks. The bands are the same ones used for the adult PHQ-9.

A clinician reads the whole form and not just the number at the bottom, and asks the ninth question, about thoughts of self-harm, in person where they can respond to the answer. Scores also get repeated during care, because what changes tells you more than where you started.

If anything in the answers worries you, about yourself or about your child, talk to a clinician now rather than waiting for the next appointment. The resources on this page are available any time.

A screener is not a diagnosis. Cutoffs are set to catch more than they miss, so a high score is a reason to talk to a clinician, not an answer.

Common questions

Patient Health Questionnaire for Adolescents. It is the teen version of the PHQ-9 depression screener, validated for ages 11 to 17.

Ages 11 to 17. Under 11, a clinician will usually pick a different screener and ask a parent to answer too. From 18, the adult PHQ-9 is the right version. Only the wording of two questions changes, and the scoring is identical.

The PHQ-A asks the same questions in wording built for a younger reader: concentrating on school work and reading, rather than reading the newspaper. The severity bands are the same on both. On this page we ask the eight symptom questions and leave out the ninth, about self-harm, so the total here runs 0 to 24 rather than 0 to 27.

Each question scores 0 (not at all), 1 (several days), 2 (more than half the days), or 3 (nearly every day). Across the eight questions here the total runs 0 to 24. Minimal is 0 to 4, mild is 5 to 9, moderate is 10 to 14, moderately severe is 15 to 19, and severe is 20 and up. A total of 10 or more is the usual point at which depression might be indicated. This screener adds it up for you.

Yes. The PHQ-A is free to reproduce, and the NIMH, the AACAP, and many hospitals publish it as a PDF. This page asks the eight symptom questions, leaving out the ninth about self-harm, and scores them for you, so you do not have to print anything or add it up by hand. The references at the bottom link to the published source.

A score of 10 or more means talking to a clinician soon rather than at the next routine visit. If anything is worrying you right now, about your teen or about yourself, reach out today. The crisis resources on this page are there around the clock, and an Emora clinician can usually see your teen within days.

References

Johnson, J. G., Harris, E. S., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. W. (2002). The Patient Health Questionnaire for Adolescents: Validation of an instrument for the assessment of mental disorders among adolescent primary care patients. Journal of Adolescent Health, 30(3), 196-204. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1054-139X(01)00333-0 Official source
Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. W. (2001). The PHQ-9: Validity of a brief depression severity measure. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 16(9), 606-613. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1525-1497.2001.016009606.x

Developed by Drs. Robert L. Spitzer, Janet B.W. Williams, Kurt Kroenke and colleagues, with an educational grant from Pfizer Inc. No permission required to reproduce, translate, display or distribute.