CCP Depression Screening & PHQ-9 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient scores 14 on the PHQ-9. Which category does this fall into?
- Mild depression
- Moderate depression (Correct answer)
- Moderately severe depression
- Severe depression
Correct answer: Moderate depression
A PHQ-9 score of 10–14 indicates moderate depression.
Question 2: Which PHQ-9 question specifically addresses suicidal ideation?
- Question 7
- Question 8
- Question 9 (Correct answer)
- Question 6
Correct answer: Question 9
PHQ-9 item 9 asks about thoughts of being better off dead or of hurting oneself.
Question 3: A patient answers 'more than half the days' on a PHQ-9 item. What numeric score is assigned to that response?
- 1
- 2 (Correct answer)
- 3
- 0
Correct answer: 2
The PHQ-9 response options are scored 0 (not at all), 1 (several days), 2 (more than half the days), and 3 (nearly every day).
Question 4: What is the maximum possible score on the PHQ-9?
- 18
- 21
- 27 (Correct answer)
- 36
Correct answer: 27
The PHQ-9 has 9 items each scored 0–3, yielding a maximum total of 27.
Question 5: The PHQ-9 functional impairment question asks about difficulty with which domains?
- Sleep, appetite, and concentration
- Work, home tasks, and getting along with others (Correct answer)
- Exercise, socializing, and self-care
- Memory, decision-making, and motivation
Correct answer: Work, home tasks, and getting along with others
The final functional item asks how difficult the listed problems have made it to do work, take care of things at home, or get along with other people.
Question 6: A patient's PHQ-9 score improves from 18 to 9 after 8 weeks of treatment. How should this change be characterized?
- Partial response (≥25% reduction)
- Full remission (score <5)
- Response (≥50% reduction) (Correct answer)
- No significant change
Correct answer: Response (≥50% reduction)
A ≥50% reduction in PHQ-9 score is the standard definition of treatment response.
Question 7: Which PHQ-9 score range is associated with the recommendation to initiate pharmacotherapy or psychotherapy in most guidelines?
- 5–9
- 1–4
- 10 or above (Correct answer)
- 15 or above only
Correct answer: 10 or above
Most clinical guidelines recommend initiating active treatment (pharmacotherapy and/or psychotherapy) when the PHQ-9 score is 10 or above.
CCP Depression Screening & PHQ-9 2
A patient scores 14 on the PHQ-9.
Which category does this fall into?