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Patient%20Health%20Questionnaire%20-%204%20(PHQ-4)
Availability
Please visit this website for more information about the instrument: Patient Health Questionnaire 4 (PHQ-4)
Classification
Supplemental – Highly Recommended: Headache (use PHQ-4 over PHQ-9 if time is of constraint).
Short Description of Instrument
The PHQ-4 is a screening tool that is specific to depression. This 4-item measure asks participants whether and how often they have been bothered by depression related symptoms over the last two weeks. It includes questions from both PHQ-9 and GAD-7.
Scoring
It is a 4-item screening measure which ranges from a score of 0 to 12 with categories of psychological distress being:
 
None 0-2
 
Mild 3-5
 
Moderate 6-8
 
Severe 9-12
 
Anxiety subscale = sum of items 1 and 2 - (score range, 0 to 6) Depression subscale = sum of items 3 and 4 - (score range, 0 to 6)
On each subscale, a score of 3 or greater is considered positive for screening purposes.
Rationale/Justification
The PHQ-4 is a short screening tool that may be preferred over the PHQ-9 when there is a time constraint.
References
Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JBW, LÖwe B. An ultra-brief screening scale for anxiety and depression: the PHQ-4 Psychosomatics. 2009;50:613-621.

 

Document last updated April 2020
Recommended Instrument for
Headache