PHQ-9 — MRCPsych Paper B MCQ

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A GP practice wants a patient-completed instrument that rates how often, over the preceding 2 weeks, a patient has been troubled by nine symptoms: anhedonia, low mood, sleep disturbance, reduced energy, appetite change, negative self-evaluation, impaired concentration, psychomotor change and thoughts of death or self-harm, giving a total severity score that can be repeated to monitor treatment response. Which instrument is described?

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Correct answer: B — PHQ-9

The instrument is the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), option B. It is a patient-completed measure covering nine depressive symptom domains during the preceding 2 weeks and is used to quantify symptom severity and monitor response over time. Its result should supplement, rather than replace, clinical assessment; endorsement of thoughts of death or self-harm requires direct risk assessment. The MMSE and MoCA assess cognition, while the CAM is a clinician-rated method for identifying delirium. The AUDIT can also be self-completed, but it identifies hazardous or harmful alcohol use and possible dependence rather than depressive symptoms. The combination of nine depression items, a 2-week reference period and frequency-based ratings therefore specifically identifies the PHQ-9.

Reference: Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust. Quick self assessment: PHQ-9, 2025. https://www.ghc.nhs.uk/our-teams-and-services/letstalk/quick-self-assessment/?pagename=our-teams-and-services%2Fletstalk%2Fquick-self-assessment%2F