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Responsiveness of the PHQ-9 to Psychopharmacological Depression Treatment

Received July 20, 2004; revised February 25, 2005; accepted April 6, 2005. From the Dept. of General Internal and Psychosomatic Medicine, Univ. of Heidelberg Medical Center, Heidelberg, Germany (BL); the Regenstrief Institute, Indiana Univ. School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA (BL, CCD); and Clinical Research, Pfizer GmbH, Karlsruhe, Germany (IS, CG). Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Löwe, Dept. of General Internal and Psychosomatic Medicine, Heidelberg Univ. Medical Center, Im Neuenheimer Feld 410, D-69120, Heidelberg, Germany. e-mail: bernd.loewe{at}med.uni-heidelberg.de

This is the first study that investigates the responsiveness of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), a standard 9-item self-report depression scale, to antidepressant medication. Authors analyzed data from 1,788 depressed outpatients (66.8% women; mean age, 50.3 years), participating in a prospective, open-label, non-interventional, observational study of sertraline. On the 0–27-point PHQ-9 scale, the total sample gained 10.3 points at 12 weeks, corresponding to a standardized effect size of –1.85. With reference to two independent criterion standards, the PHQ-9 change scores were considerably greater in therapy responders than in nonresponders. The PHQ-9 was equally responsive in men and women. Therefore, the PHQ-9 qualifies as a practical tool for gauging response to pharmacological treatment in depressed patients.

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