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Depression Test for Teens & Parents (PHQ-9)

Nine questions covering the DSM-5 symptoms of depression over the last two weeks, with the adolescent PHQ-A wording when it’s for a teen.

9 questions
About 2 minutes
Teens & adults
PHQ-9 / PHQ-A
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-9 score can and cannot tell you

The PHQ-9 is a nine-item self-report depression questionnaire validated for teens and adults 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 an assessment. 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-9

The PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire) is the standard depression screen used across primary care and mental health settings, with an adolescent version (PHQ-A) validated for teens. Nine questions cover the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) symptom criteria for depression: low mood, loss of interest, sleep, energy, appetite, concentration, and how someone feels about themselves. Each is rated over the last two weeks.

Scores band into minimal (0-4), mild (5-9), moderate (10-14), moderately severe (15-19), and severe (20-27). A score of 10 or higher is the usual threshold for probable depression and a conversation with a clinician. A screening cannot diagnose depression, and one hard week is not a verdict. A persistent pattern is worth taking seriously.

If the results suggest support would help, Emora Health offers online therapy and, where appropriate, medication management for teens and young adults with licensed clinicians, typically within days of sign-up.

How the PHQ-9 is scored

You add the nine answers into one total, and that total falls into a severity band. Every question asks about the last two weeks. The teen version, the PHQ-A, is scored the same way in age-appropriate wording.

Some answers matter on their own, whatever the total says. That is one reason a clinician reads the whole form and not just the number at the bottom. 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

The PHQ-9 is a validated screening instrument used worldwide, with well-established cutoffs (that is, the score at which depression might be indicated). It shows whether an evaluation for depression is warranted. It cannot diagnose on its own.

Yes. This screener automatically uses the adolescent version (PHQ-A) when you indicate the assessment is for a teen, with age-appropriate wording.

A high score means a professional conversation should happen soon. If anything in the answers is worrying you — about yourself or about your teen — that is a reason to reach out now rather than to wait on a screening. Support is available around the clock through the resources on this page, and a clinician can usually see you within days.

The PHQ-9 and its adolescent version (PHQ-A) are self-report questionnaires: they work best when the person with the symptoms answers. Choose the teen option and let your child answer for themselves when possible, even with you sitting nearby. If you answer on their behalf, treat the score as a conversation starter rather than a result, and bring your concerns to a clinician either way.

It is the real thing. The PHQ-9 is the standard depression screen used across primary care and mental health settings, scored here exactly the way clinicians score it. Like any screening quiz, it shows whether symptoms warrant an evaluation; it cannot diagnose depression.

References

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 Official source
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

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.