Screening questionnaire · Mood and depression
Teenage Depression Test: the standard 9-question screen.
The nine depression questions of the PHQ-A, the adolescent version of the screen used in doctors' offices. Free, private, about two minutes — and nothing is sent to us.
A screen, not a diagnosis. If you are thinking about hurting yourself, call or text 988 in the US, or find a helpline at findahelpline.com.
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THE SCREEN9 questionsThe standard depression screen, adolescent wording.
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PRIVATENothing is saved or sentFree, no sign-up, no account. Your result appears on your screen only.
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IMPORTANTA screen, not a diagnosisOnly a doctor or therapist can diagnose depression.
The screen
Take the teenage depression test
Answer for the last two weeks — how often each thing has bothered you. There are no right answers, and nobody sees your responses.
Your score
What the scores mean
- 0–4 Minimal — few or no depression symptoms reported
- 5–9 Mild — some symptoms worth keeping an eye on
- 10–14 Moderate — enough that talking to someone is recommended
- 15–19 Moderately severe — please speak to an adult or a professional
- 20–27 Severe — please talk to someone today
Each answer scores 0 (Not at all) to 3 (Nearly every day), for a total of 0–27. These are the standard severity ranges used with this questionnaire. They are not a diagnosis, and they are not a measure of how much your feelings matter.
Took part in the study that tested this questionnaire against a real clinical interview.
The short answer
What is teenage depression?
Depression in a teenager is more than a bad week or ordinary moodiness — it is a persistent change in mood, energy, interest and functioning that lasts at least two weeks. It often looks different in teenagers than in adults. Irritability can be more obvious than sadness, which is why the second question on this screen asks about feeling “down, depressed, irritable, or hopeless” rather than sadness alone. Problems with schoolwork, sleep and appetite are frequently what other people notice first.
The nine questions here are the depression items of the PHQ-A, the adolescent version of a standard screening questionnaire used in doctors’ offices. Johnson and colleagues tested the PHQ-A against a blind clinical interview with 403 adolescents in primary care across four US states, and reported satisfactory sensitivity, specificity and overall diagnostic accuracy.
Irritability is a depression symptom in teenagers, not just a bad attitude. That is a clinical point, not a figure of speech.
In the validation study, 403 adolescents completed the questionnaire during or shortly after a visit to a primary care clinic or a school nurse’s office, and a few days later clinical psychologists who did not know their answers conducted a full interview. The questionnaire’s results matched the interviews closely enough that the authors concluded it was diagnostically valid for this age group — which is why a screen like this is worth taking seriously, and still why it cannot replace the interview.
View sourceKnow the signs
What does depression look like in a teenager?
These are the nine areas this screen asks about. You do not need all of them, and everybody has some of them sometimes — what matters is how many, how often, and for how long.
Nothing feels interesting any more
Losing interest or pleasure in things you used to enjoy — friends, games, music, sport. This and low mood are the two core symptoms.
Feeling down, hopeless, or irritable
In teenagers this often shows up as irritability or anger rather than obvious sadness. Feeling flat or empty counts too.
Sleep has changed
Trouble falling asleep, waking in the night, or sleeping far more than usual and still feeling tired.
No energy, and everything is an effort
Being tired most of the time, even after sleeping. Ordinary tasks taking much more out of you than they should.
School has got harder
Trouble concentrating on schoolwork, reading or even watching things. Grades slipping is often the first thing adults notice.
Feeling bad about yourself
Feeling like a failure, or that you have let yourself or your family down. In depression this feeling is a symptom, not an accurate assessment of you.
Normal teenage mood vs. depression
Both are real. The difference is in how long it lasts and how much it takes from you.
| Feature | Ordinary ups and downs | Depression |
|---|---|---|
| How long | Hours or a few days, and it shifts. | Most of the day, nearly every day, for two weeks or more. |
| What still works | Things you enjoy still cheer you up. | Things you used to enjoy stop working. |
| What it affects | Mood, mostly. | Mood, sleep, appetite, energy, concentration and school. |
| What to do | If it has lasted two weeks or more, or if question 9 applied to you at all, talk to someone. Both are good reasons, and neither is an overreaction. | |
How this screen works
How the score is worked out
Nine questions, each scored 0 to 3 by how often it has bothered you over the last two weeks, for a total out of 27. These are the standard ranges.
- 01 0–9
Minimal to mild
Few symptoms, or some worth watching. Keep an eye on how you feel over the next couple of weeks, and read the note about question 9 before deciding nothing needs doing.
- 02 10–19
Moderate to moderately severe
Enough symptoms, often enough, that talking to a doctor, counsellor or trusted adult is recommended. This is the range where getting help makes the most difference.
- 03 20–27
Severe
A high number of symptoms, most days. Please talk to someone today — a parent, a school counsellor, your GP, or a crisis line. This is treatable, and you do not have to sort it out by yourself.
A questionnaire cannot diagnose depression. A clinician asks follow-up questions a form cannot — how long this has gone on, what else is happening in your life, whether something else explains it. This screen is designed to tell you whether that conversation is worth having. It cannot tell you that you are fine, and it cannot tell you that you are depressed.
Understanding the context
Why does depression happen in teenagers?
There is rarely one cause, and it is never a matter of not trying hard enough.
A brain and body in the middle of changing
Adolescence involves large changes in hormones, sleep patterns and brain development. That is part of why depression often first appears in these years, and it is not something anyone chooses.
What is happening around you
Bullying, family stress, loss, pressure at school, social media comparison and isolation all raise risk. These are real causes, not excuses.
It can also run in families
Having a parent or sibling who has experienced depression makes it more likely. That raises risk; it does not make it inevitable or permanent.
What helps
Can teenage depression be treated?
Yes, and that is the most important sentence on this page. Depression in adolescents responds to treatment, and most people get better.
- 01 / TELL SOMEONE
The first step is a conversation
A parent, a relative you trust, a teacher, a school counsellor, or your GP. You do not need the right words, and you do not need to have worked out what is wrong first.
- 02 / TALKING THERAPIES
Therapy works for this
Cognitive behavioural therapy and other talking therapies are well established for adolescent depression. Many people improve without medication; a doctor will talk through the options with you.
- 03 / THE BASICS STILL COUNT
Sleep, movement, daylight, people
None of these is a cure, and anyone who tells you to just exercise more is not helping. But sleep and contact with people you like genuinely affect mood, and they are worth protecting while you get proper support.
Research background: Johnson et al. (2002), validation of the PHQ-A in adolescent primary care. This page is educational and is not medical advice.
What to do next
What should you do with your result?
Whatever your score, the next step is about talking to someone rather than about the number.
- 01
Check question 9 first
If you answered anything other than “Not at all” to the last question, act on that today, whatever your total was. That is the one thing on this page that should not wait.
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Tell one person
Showing someone your result is a way to start the conversation without having to explain everything. “I took this and I scored here” is enough.
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Book an appointment if you scored 10 or above
A GP, paediatrician or school counsellor is the right place to start. Taking the result with you gives them something concrete to work from.
Please reach out right now — you deserve support and this is what these lines are for. In the US, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), free and available 24/7. Outside the US, find a helpline at findahelpline.com. If you are in immediate danger, call your local emergency number. Please also tell an adult you trust.
Good questions to ask
Teen depression test FAQs
Short, honest answers to the questions people ask most about this screen.
This screen cannot tell you that, and neither can any questionnaire. What it tells you is how closely what you have felt over the last two weeks matches what clinicians look for. A score of 10 or more is the usual point at which a professional conversation is recommended — but a lower score with real distress still deserves attention.
The nine depression questions of the PHQ-A, the adolescent version of a standard screening questionnaire used in doctors’ offices. It was validated against blind clinical interviews with 403 adolescents in primary care by Johnson and colleagues in 2002.
It means the questionnaire did not capture your experience, which happens. These nine questions cover one specific pattern; distress that does not fit them is still real and still worth talking about. Your own sense that something is wrong outranks this number.
Nothing here is sent to anyone — your answers stay on your device. Whether to tell a parent is your decision, though telling at least one adult you trust is usually the thing that helps most. School counsellors can also talk through how to start that conversation.
Question 9 asks about thoughts of being better off dead or hurting yourself. If you answered anything other than “Not at all”, please tell a trusted adult or contact a crisis line today, regardless of your total. Having those thoughts does not mean you will act on them, and it is a reason to get support rather than something to be ashamed of. NIMH’s teen depression guide explains what treatment usually involves and what to expect.
No. Only a doctor or mental health professional can diagnose depression, after a proper conversation. This page is educational and cannot confirm or rule out anything about you.
Sometimes episodes lift by themselves, but waiting is a poor plan: untreated depression tends to last longer and affect school, friendships and health in the meantime. Treatment works, and getting help earlier generally means a shorter, easier recovery.
Mood swings and difficult weeks are a normal part of adolescence. Feeling low most of the day, nearly every day, for two weeks or more — and losing interest in things you used to enjoy — is not something to write off as a phase.
Yes. The test is free, needs no account or sign-up, and your result appears only in your browser. Nothing is sent to us.
Editorial transparency
Sources and review information
This screen uses the nine depression items of the PHQ-A, the adolescent adaptation of the PHQ-9. The questionnaire was developed by Drs. Robert L. Spitzer, Janet B.W. Williams, Kurt Kroenke and colleagues with an educational grant from Pfizer Inc., and its own documentation states that no permission is required to reproduce, translate, display or distribute it. The items and scoring are therefore reproduced unchanged. Content is written and reviewed by the PsyMed Editorial Team from the public sources listed here. We are writers and researchers, not clinicians, and this page is educational rather than diagnostic. Read how we build our tests and who we are.
Research and editorial references
- Johnson, J.G., Harris, E.S., Spitzer, R.L., & Williams, J.B.W. (2002). The Patient Health Questionnaire for Adolescents: validation of an instrument for the assessment of mental disorders among adolescent primary care patients. Journal of Adolescent Health, 30(3), 196–204. 403 adolescents, four US states. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11869927
- Spitzer, R.L., Williams, J.B.W., Kroenke, K., and colleagues. Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) screeners, developed with an educational grant from Pfizer Inc. No permission required to reproduce, translate, display or distribute. phqscreeners.com
- National Institute of Mental Health. Teen Depression — patient information on symptoms, treatment and what to expect.
- Scope note: the full PHQ-A is broader than this — it also screens anxiety, eating and substance use. This page uses its nine depression items only.
You are not stuck with this
Depression in teenagers responds to treatment.
Whatever your score, the useful next step is telling one person. Most teenagers who get help with depression get better.
Take the screen