How the self-check scores work

What the self-checks are for

The self-checks help adults in the UK reflect on how often common symptoms of low mood or anxiety have bothered them over the last two weeks. They are screening questionnaires. They do not diagnose any condition, they do not recommend treatment, and they are not a substitute for talking to your GP or another qualified health professional.

Where the questions come from

The depression self-check uses the nine questions of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). The anxiety self-check uses the seven questions of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7). Both were developed by Drs Robert L. Spitzer, Janet B.W. Williams, Kurt Kroenke and colleagues, with an educational grant from Pfizer Inc., and no permission is required to reproduce or display them. We show the questions, answer choices and scoring exactly as published, without changes.

How the score is added up

Every answer has a points value from 0 (Not at all) to 3 (Nearly every day), shown next to it. The total is those points added together: 0 to 27 for the PHQ-9 and 0 to 21 for the GAD-7. With your result we show each of your answers, its points and the sum, so you can check the arithmetic yourself. The score ranges and their names (for example "mild" or "moderate") are the ones the questionnaires' authors published.

What the result cannot tell you

A screening score can be wrong in both directions. A low score does not rule out a problem, and a high score does not mean you have a condition. Other things, such as a physical illness, medicines, alcohol, grief or a recent life event, can affect your answers. Only a qualified health professional can make a diagnosis.

The question about self-harm

The ninth PHQ-9 question asks about thoughts of being better off dead or of hurting yourself. If you choose any answer other than "Not at all", the page shows urgent help routes straight away, whatever your total. Nobody sees your answers, so nobody will contact you because of them.

Your answers

The score is worked out in your browser. Your answers are not sent to us or anyone else, are not stored, and are not used by any analytics. Closing or reloading the page clears them.

Who checked this

We checked the questions, answer choices and score ranges against the authors' published forms and instruction manual. No clinician has reviewed these pages. If you think something here is wrong, please tell us.