Friday 5 April 2024

PHQ-9 for Depression : A Brief Overview

Depression is a common mental health concern that can affect how a person feels, thinks, and handles daily activities. It's essential to identify and address depression early to improve well-being and quality of life. One tool that healthcare professionals often use to assess depression is the PHQ-9. To learn more about PHQ-9 for depression, read this post. 

What is the PHQ-9?

The PHQ-9, short for Patient Health Questionnaire-9, is a simple questionnaire designed to help screen and measure the severity of depression. It consists of nine questions that ask about common symptoms experienced by people with depression.


How Does It Work?

The PHQ-9 asks about various aspects of mood and behavior over the past two weeks. Questions include how often you've been feeling down, depressed, or hopeless, whether you've had trouble sleeping or experienced changes in appetite, and if you've had trouble concentrating.


Scoring and Interpretation

Each question on the PHQ-9 is scored from 0 to 3, depending on the frequency of the symptom (0 for "not at all" to 3 for "nearly every day"). The scores are then added up to give a total score, ranging from 0 to 27.


Wrap Up

The PHQ-9 is a valuable tool in assessing and managing depression. To learn more about it, consult with professionals at Shifa Health. Visit the website now!


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