Depression and Anxiety Tests
Am I depressed, do I have anxiety, or both?
For many of us, experiencing the symptoms associated with depression or anxiety will mean a trip to the GP. But how will the doctor know how severe your depression or anxiety is? Some GPs will ask you to fill in the questionnaires listed below to give them an idea of what symptoms you are experiencing and how severe the problem is for you. The first is called the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ9 for short) and is used to assess depression. The second is the Generalised Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD7) and is used as a screening tool for anxiety. By adding up your score you can see how much your depression or anxiety is affecting you daily and whether you are experiencing depression, anxiety or both.
P A T I E N T H E A L T H Q U E S T I O N N A I R E - 9 (P H Q - 9)
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Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by any of the following problems? |
Not at all
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Several days |
More than half the days |
Nearly every day |
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
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GENERALISED ANXIETY DISORDER ASSESSMENT 7 (GAD-7)
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Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by any of the following problems? |
Not at all | Several days |
More than half the days |
Nearly every day |
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
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What do my scores mean?
Add up your scores for both questionnaires, and compare your results to the information below:
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PHQ-9 for depression (score out of 27) |
GAD-7 for anxiety (score out of 21) |
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0 - 4 None/minimal symptoms |
0 - 4 None/minimal symptoms |
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5 - 9 Mild depression |
5 - 10 Mild anxiety |
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10 - 14 Moderate depression |
11 - 15 Moderate anxiety |
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15 - 19 Moderately severe depression |
15 - 21 Severe anxiety |
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20 - 27 Severe depression |
What next, if you have Depression or Anxiety?
Although it is possible to have 'anxiety' or 'depression' to varying degrees (psychiatrists can help formally classify whether you meet a condition based on certain criteria), it can be more helpful to focus on treatment rather than to dwell on the diagnostic label. To read more about depression and working through it, please see our 'Depression Help Guide'. For further information about anxiety and treatment, see this 'Anxiety Counselling' page.
Tests: Developed by Drs. Robert L. Spitzer, Janet B.W. Williams, Kurt Kroenke and colleagues, with grant from Pfizer Inc. No permission required to reproduce, translate, display or distribute.
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