Depression Symptom Severity Calculator (PHQ-9 Based)

ANA›Life Services Authority›National Calculator Authority›Depression Symptom Severity Calculator (PHQ-9 Based)

.calc-container { max-width: 640px; margin: 2rem 0; padding: 1.5rem; background: #fff; border: 1px solid #ddd; border-radius: 8px; box-shadow: 0 1px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.06); font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, sans-serif; } .calc-container h3 { font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.15rem; color: #1a1a1a; margin-bottom: 1rem; padding-bottom: 0.5rem; border-bottom: 2px solid var(--ac, #3d5a80); } .calc-row { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 0.75rem; margin-bottom: 0.75rem; flex-wrap: wrap; } .calc-row label { min-width: 160px; font-size: 0.9rem; color: #333; font-weight: 500; } .calc-row input[type="number"], .calc-row select { flex: 1; min-width: 120px; max-width: 200px; padding: 0.5rem 0.6rem; border: 1px solid #ccc; border-radius: 4px; font-size: 0.9rem; font-family: system-ui, sans-serif; color: #1a1a1a; background: #fafaf8; } .calc-row input:focus, .calc-row select:focus { outline: none; border-color: var(--ac, #3d5a80); box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(26,74,138,0.12); } .calc-row .unit { font-size: 0.82rem; color: #888; min-width: 30px; } .calc-btn { display: inline-block; margin-top: 0.5rem; padding: 0.55rem 1.5rem; background: var(--ac, #3d5a80); color: #fff; border: none; border-radius: 4px; font-size: 0.9rem; font-weight: 600; cursor: pointer; font-family: system-ui, sans-serif; } .calc-btn:hover { opacity: 0.9; } .calc-result { margin-top: 1.25rem; padding: 1rem 1.25rem; background: #f0f6fc; border-left: 3px solid var(--ac, #3d5a80); border-radius: 0 6px 6px 0; display: none; } .calc-result.visible { display: block; } .calc-result-label { font-size: 0.78rem; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.06em; color: #666; margin-bottom: 0.25rem; } .calc-result-value { font-size: 1.6rem; font-weight: 700; color: var(--ac, #3d5a80); } .calc-result-detail { font-size: 0.85rem; color: #555; margin-top: 0.5rem; line-height: 1.5; } .calc-note { margin-top: 1rem; font-size: 0.8rem; color: #888; font-style: italic; } .calc-grid { display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; gap: 0.75rem; margin-top: 0.75rem; } .calc-grid-item { padding: 0.6rem 0.8rem; background: #f8f9fa; border-radius: 4px; border: 1px solid #eee; } .calc-grid-item .label { font-size: 0.75rem; color: #888; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.04em; } .calc-grid-item .value { font-size: 1.1rem; font-weight: 600; color: #1a1a1a; } @media (max-width: 720px) { .calc-row { flex-direction: column; align-items: flex-start; gap: 0.3rem; } .calc-row label { min-width: auto; } .calc-row input[type="number"], .calc-row select { max-width: 100%; width: 100%; } .calc-grid { grid-template-columns: 1fr; } } .calc-chart { margin: 1rem 0; text-align: center; } .calc-chart svg { max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .calc-chart-legend { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; justify-content: center; gap: 0.6rem 1.2rem; margin-top: 0.6rem; font-size: 0.8rem; color: #555; } .calc-chart-legend span { display: inline-flex; align-items: center; gap: 0.3rem; } .calc-chart-legend i { display: inline-block; width: 10px; height: 10px; border-radius: 2px; font-style: normal; } .calc-related { max-width: 640px; margin: 2rem 0 1rem; padding: 1.25rem 1.5rem; background: #f8f9fa; border: 1px solid #e8e8e8; border-radius: 8px; } .calc-related h3 { font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1rem; color: #1a1a1a; margin: 0 0 0.75rem; padding-bottom: 0.4rem; border-bottom: 2px solid var(--ac, #3d5a80); } .calc-related-list { list-style: none; padding: 0; margin: 0 0 0.75rem; display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; gap: 0.4rem 1.5rem; } .calc-related-list li a { font-size: 0.88rem; color: var(--ac, #3d5a80); text-decoration: none; } .calc-related-list li a:hover { text-decoration: underline; } .calc-browse-all { margin: 0.5rem 0 0; font-size: 0.9rem; font-weight: 600; } .calc-browse-all a { color: var(--ac, #3d5a80); text-decoration: none; } .calc-browse-all a:hover { text-decoration: underline; } @media (max-width: 720px) { .calc-related-list { grid-template-columns: 1fr; } }

Depression Symptom Severity Calculator (PHQ-9 Based)

The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is a validated, self-administered tool used to screen for and measure the severity of depression. Rate how often you have been bothered by each of the following problems over the past two weeks.

⚠️ Disclaimer: This tool is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing thoughts of self-harm, please contact a mental health professional or call a crisis helpline immediately.

Rating Scale: 0 = Not at all  |  1 = Several days  |  2 = More than half the days  |  3 = Nearly every day

Over the past 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by:

  1. Little interest or pleasure in doing things

-- Select -- 0 – Not at all 1 – Several days 2 – More than half the days 3 – Nearly every day

  1. Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless

-- Select -- 0 – Not at all 1 – Several days 2 – More than half the days 3 – Nearly every day

  1. Trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleeping too much

-- Select -- 0 – Not at all 1 – Several days 2 – More than half the days 3 – Nearly every day

  1. Feeling tired or having little energy

-- Select -- 0 – Not at all 1 – Several days 2 – More than half the days 3 – Nearly every day

  1. Poor appetite or overeating

-- Select -- 0 – Not at all 1 – Several days 2 – More than half the days 3 – Nearly every day

  1. Feeling bad about yourself — or that you are a failure or have let yourself or your family down

-- Select -- 0 – Not at all 1 – Several days 2 – More than half the days 3 – Nearly every day

  1. Trouble concentrating on things, such as reading the newspaper or watching television

-- Select -- 0 – Not at all 1 – Several days 2 – More than half the days 3 – Nearly every day

  1. Moving or speaking so slowly that other people could have noticed — or the opposite, being so fidgety or restless that you have been moving around a lot more than usual

-- Select -- 0 – Not at all 1 – Several days 2 – More than half the days 3 – Nearly every day

  1. Thoughts that you would be better off dead, or of hurting yourself in some way

-- Select -- 0 – Not at all 1 – Several days 2 – More than half the days 3 – Nearly every day

Calculate PHQ-9 Score

function depCalc() { var ids = ['dep_q1','dep_q2','dep_q3','dep_q4','dep_q5','dep_q6','dep_q7','dep_q8','dep_q9']; var labels = [ 'Little interest or pleasure', 'Feeling down or hopeless', 'Sleep problems', 'Fatigue or low energy', 'Appetite problems', 'Feeling bad about yourself', 'Concentration problems', 'Psychomotor changes', 'Thoughts of self-harm' ];

var total = 0; var missing = []; var scores = [];

for (var i = 0; i 0) { resultDiv.style.background = '#fdf2f2'; resultDiv.style.borderLeft = '4px solid #e74c3c'; resultDiv.innerHTML = '⚠ Please answer all questions before calculating.Missing: ' + missing.join(', ') + ''; return; }

// Determine severity category var severity, color, recommendation, bgColor; if (total >= 0 && total = 5 && total = 10 && total = 15 && total = 1) { q9Warning = '' + '🚨 Important Notice (Question 9):' + 'You indicated thoughts of self-harm or being better off dead. Please reach out to a mental health professional immediately or contact a crisis helpline:' + 'National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 (US) | Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741' + ''; }

// Score breakdown table var tableRows = ''; for (var j = 0; j ' + (j+1) + '. ' + labels[j] + '' + '' + scores[j] + '' + '' + scoreLabel + ''; }

// Progress bar percentage var pct = Math.round((total / 27) * 100);

resultDiv.style.background = bgColor; resultDiv.style.borderLeft = '4px solid ' + color; resultDiv.innerHTML = '### PHQ-9 Score: ' + total + ' / 27 ' + '' + '' + '' + '' + pct + '% of maximum score (27)

' + '' + 'Severity Level: ' + severity + '' + '' + '' + 'Clinical Recommendation:' + recommendation + '' + '' + '' + '📋 View Score Breakdown' + '' + '' + 'Question' + 'Score' + 'Response' + '' + '' + tableRows + '' + '' + 'Total' + '' + total + '' + '' + severity + '' + '' + '' + '' + q9Warning; }

#### Formula

PHQ-9 Total Score = Q1 + Q2 + Q3 + Q4 + Q5 + Q6 + Q7 + Q8 + Q9 Each of the 9 questions is scored on a 4-point Likert scale:   • 0 = Not at all   • 1 = Several days   • 2 = More than half the days   • 3 = Nearly every day Total score range: 0–27 Severity Classification:   • 0–4: Minimal or No Depression — Watchful waiting; repeat PHQ-9 at follow-up   • 5–9: Mild Depression — Patient education, watchful waiting   • 10–14: Moderate Depression — Treatment plan, counseling, follow-up   • 15–19: Moderately Severe Depression — Active treatment with pharmacotherapy and/or psychotherapy   • 20–27: Severe Depression — Immediate pharmacotherapy; referral to mental health specialist Note on Question 9: Any score ≥ 1 on Question 9 (thoughts of self-harm) requires immediate clinical attention regardless of total score.

#### Assumptions & References

Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JB. The PHQ-9: validity of a brief depression severity measure. J Gen Intern Med. 2001;16(9):606–613. - Spitzer RL, Kroenke K, Williams JB. Validation and utility of a self-report version of PRIME-MD. JAMA. 1999;282(18):1737–1744. - American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed. (DSM-5). 2013. - Löwe B, et al. Comparative validity of three screening questionnaires for DSM-IV depressive disorders. J Affect Disord. 2004;78(2):131–140.

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