Which statement about the PHQ is true?

Which statement about the PHQ is true?

• A. PHQ has Australian norms.
• B. PHQ has no Australian norms.
• C. PHQ measures global functioning.
• D. PHQ is not a screening tool.

Answer: (B)

The PHQ is a self-administered screening tool designed to identify depressive symptoms and indicate when further assessment for mood disorders is warranted. It isn’t meant to diagnose, but to flag potential cases that should be explored more fully. There aren’t official Australian norms established for the PHQ. It has been translated and validated in Australian samples, and clinicians may use standard cutoffs derived from other populations, but there isn’t a set of population-specific Australian norms to apply universally. That’s why the statement about Australian norms isn’t supported. The PHQ focuses on depressive symptoms rather than global functioning, and it is indeed used as a screening instrument rather than a diagnostic tool.

The PHQ is a self-administered screening tool designed to identify depressive symptoms and indicate when further assessment for mood disorders is warranted. It isn’t meant to diagnose, but to flag potential cases that should be explored more fully.

There aren’t official Australian norms established for the PHQ. It has been translated and validated in Australian samples, and clinicians may use standard cutoffs derived from other populations, but there isn’t a set of population-specific Australian norms to apply universally. That’s why the statement about Australian norms isn’t supported.

The PHQ focuses on depressive symptoms rather than global functioning, and it is indeed used as a screening instrument rather than a diagnostic tool.