PHQ-15
ValidatedPatient Health Questionnaire – 15 (PHQ-15)
Adults (18+)Self~3 min15 questions
During the past 4 weeks, how much have you been bothered by any of the following problems?
Report details · optional
Shown on the report and stored with the screening record. Use initials or a code, not full names.
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About this screener — evidence, source, alternatives
The somatic symptom scale of the Patient Health Questionnaire: 15 physical symptoms (pain, dizziness, palpitations, bowel and sleep problems, fatigue and others) each rated 0 (not bothered at all) to 2 (bothered a lot) over the past four weeks. Scores of 5, 10 and 15 mark low, medium and high somatic symptom severity. Useful alongside the PHQ-9 and GAD-7, since somatic, anxiety and depressive symptoms commonly co-occur.
Evidence · validated
Validated in 6,000 primary-care and obstetrics-gynaecology patients: as PHQ-15 scores rose there was a stepwise decline in functional status on all six SF-20 subscales and increases in symptom-related difficulty, sick days and healthcare use. Scores of 5, 10 and 15 represent cut-points for low, medium and high somatic symptom severity (Kroenke et al., 2002).
Free alternative to
- Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (somatisation scale) · Pearson
Paid symptom inventory with a somatisation subscale; the PHQ-15 is the free somatic symptom measure.
Source & licence
Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JBW. The PHQ-15: validity of a new measure for evaluating the severity of somatic symptoms. Psychosom Med. 2002;64(2):258–266. Developed by Drs Robert L. Spitzer, Janet B.W. Williams, Kurt Kroenke and colleagues, with an educational grant from Pfizer Inc.
Licence: Free — the official form states: no permission required to reproduce, translate, display or distribute
Official source ↗