patvann/recommend-phq9-for-positive-phq2

Accuracy of the PHQ-2 Alone and in Combination With the PHQ-9 for Screening to Detect Major Depression

In depression screening, questionnaires are used to identify patients with scores above a cutoff threshold for evaluation to determine whether depression is present.1 One strategy is to administer a brief screening tool followed by a longer tool for positive screens. The Patient Health Questionnaire–2 (PHQ-2),4 which consists of the first 2 items (depressed mood and anhedonia) of the Patient Health Questionnaire–9 (PHQ-9), has been recommended as a prescreen prior to administering remaining PHQ-9 items (Table 1).