Start with the questionnaire that matches what bothers you most. For low mood or loss of interest, take the PHQ-9. For worry or feeling on edge, take the GAD-7. If you are not sure, take both. Each takes a few minutes, and neither result is a diagnosis.
Match the questionnaire to what you feel
| If you mostly feel... | Start with | Time it asks about | What your score means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Down, hopeless, or no interest | PHQ-9, 9 questions | Past 2 weeks | PHQ-9 guide |
| Worried, nervous, or unable to relax | GAD-7, 7 questions | Past 2 weeks | GAD-7 guide |
| Upset by a traumatic event | PC-PTSD-5 or PCL-5 | Past month | PC-PTSD-5 guide, PCL-5 guide |
| Bad about yourself | Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, 10 questions | No set period | RSE guide |
| Bothered by physical symptoms | PHQ-15, 15 questions | Past 4 weeks | PHQ-15 guide |
| Low, and you are an older adult | GDS-15, 15 yes-or-no questions | Past week | GDS-15 guide |
Anxiety and depression are the most common mental health conditions worldwide, according to the WHO. They also often occur together. That is why taking both the PHQ-9 and the GAD-7 is a sensible start when you are unsure. Their scores answer different questions, so read each one against its own guide. PHQ-9 and GAD-7 compares them side by side.
To check whether a recent change could be depression, read how depression symptoms and screening fit together.
Two-question screens
The PHQ-2 and GAD-2 each use two questions from the longer PHQ-9 and GAD-7. Both ask about the past two weeks. A score of 3 or higher is a reason for a fuller check, often the PHQ-9 or GAD-7. A lower score does not rule anything out. The PHQ-2 guide and GAD-2 guide explain both results.
You may also see the PHQ-4, which combines those four questions on one form. Another is the DASS-21, which scores depression, anxiety and stress separately over the past week. The DASS-21 has no question about self-harm, so it cannot replace a safety check.
Particular situations
During pregnancy or after birth. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was developed to screen for depression after childbirth. Survey Doctor does not currently offer it. A doctor or midwife may use it or another questionnaire. Tracking mental health postpartum explains the options.
Older adults. The GDS-15 uses yes-or-no answers about the past week. It avoids many physical symptoms that can come from medical illness rather than low mood.
Trauma. The PC-PTSD-5 starts with one question about whether you have ever been through a traumatic event. If you answer yes, five yes-or-no questions about the past month follow. The PCL-5 is longer: 20 questions about PTSD symptoms in the past month, with a total from 0 to 80. Do I have PTSD? explains how the two fit together.
Drinking. The CAGE asks four yes-or-no questions about drinking problems at any time in your life. It does not measure how much you drink now. The AUDIT, developed by the WHO, mainly covers the past year. If your drinking worries you, ask a doctor which screen fits. What your CAGE score means covers its limits.
What your score can and cannot tell you
Each questionnaire here describes what you reported. None of them diagnoses a condition or explains the cause. Only a full assessment by a doctor or therapist can do that.
The results also look different. The PHQ-9, GAD-7, PHQ-15 and GDS-15 place your total in a labeled range, such as mild or moderate. The two-question screens and the PC-PTSD-5 are first steps, not severity scales. The PCL-5 has no official severity bands, and the Rosenberg scale shows a total without a label.
Bring your result to a doctor or therapist if symptoms last, worry you, or disrupt daily life. A low score does not mean you need no help. It is also not a reason to stop care you already have.
The PHQ-9 asks about thoughts of being better off dead or of hurting yourself. If you have these thoughts, talk to someone today, whatever your total.
If you need help now. In the US, Call 988 or text 988. Call 911 if you are in immediate danger. Outside the US, contact your local emergency number or find support in your country.
Taking it again
One score shows how you were doing over the period it asks about. Repeating the same questionnaire shows the trend. The PHQ-9 and GAD-7 ask about the past two weeks, so taking them every two weeks avoids overlapping answers. Monthly also works for long-term tracking, though it may miss shorter changes. Take it under similar conditions each time.
Other questionnaires cover other periods. The GDS-15 asks about a week, the PHQ-15 four weeks, and the PCL-5 a month. Agree on a schedule for those with your doctor. The CAGE asks about your whole life, so its answers may not change even when your drinking does.
Look at the trend across several results rather than one jump. A 2004 study of 434 older adults in the IMPACT trial estimated the smallest PHQ-9 change that mattered clinically. It was five points. Treat a change that size as a reason to look closer, not as a rule. The same number does not carry over to other questionnaires.