Free Screening Tool
Depression Screening (PHQ-9)
The PHQ-9 is the most widely used depression screening tool in the world, built directly from clinical diagnostic criteria. It takes about three minutes and gives you a clear, honest starting point.
Before you start: answer based on the past 2 weeks. This screener does not diagnose depression, it flags whether a conversation with a professional would be worthwhile.
If you’re in crisis right now, you don’t need to finish this form first. Kenya Red Cross: 1199 (toll-free, 24/7) · NACADA: 1192 (alcohol or drug-related crises, toll-free, 24/7) · Emergency services: 999 or 112 · or go to your nearest hospital.
0 of 10 answered
Let’s pause here for a second.
You indicated having thoughts of being better off dead or of hurting yourself. That matters, and it deserves more than a screening result. You don’t have to manage this alone, and reaching out now is a reasonable, sensible thing to do, not an overreaction.
- Kenya Red Cross — toll-free, 24/7Call 1199
- Immediate danger — emergency servicesCall 999 / 112
- Not sure who to call?Go to your nearest hospital
Screening Result
0/27
Headline
0510152027
Narrative
Is this a diagnosis? No, and this is worth being clear about. This score reflects how you answered nine questions about the past two weeks, that’s genuinely useful information, but it isn’t the same as a diagnosis. Depression is diagnosed through a clinical conversation, a professional asking follow-up questions, checking how long symptoms have lasted, and ruling out other explanations, not from a number alone. Treat this result as a reason to have that conversation, not as a label to carry on your own.
What you can do next
About this tool: Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), developed by Robert L. Spitzer, MD, Janet B.W. Williams, DSW, Kurt Kroenke, MD, and colleagues, with an educational grant from Pfizer Inc. The PHQ-9 is in the public domain and may be freely used without permission. This tool is a screener, not a diagnostic instrument, and does not replace consultation with a trained healthcare professional. If you are in immediate danger, contact emergency services.