What is the optimal cut-off score for diagnosing major depressive disorder using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)?
The PHQ-9 demonstrates acceptable diagnostic accuracy for major depressive disorder when utilizing cut-off scores between 8 and 11.
The PHQ-9 was found to have acceptable diagnostic properties for detecting major depressive disorder for cut-off scores between 8 and 11. Authors of future validation studies should consistently report the outcomes for different cut-off scores.
Manea et al. (2011) studied this question.
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