PHQ-9, GAD-7 & More — What Clinical Questionnaires Mean for Your Mood Tracking

What Are Clinical Questionnaires?

When you track your mood, you often use a simple scale: "How am I feeling today, from 1 to 10?" That's a good start. But what if you want a more precise picture of where you stand?

Clinical questionnaires are standardized screening instruments used in psychological and psychiatric practice worldwide. They were developed and validated in large-scale studies — meaning their results are reliable and comparable.

The key difference from a simple mood score: Clinical tests ask about specific symptoms and their frequency over a defined period. This produces a more nuanced picture than a single number.

PHQ-9: The Gold Standard for Depression Screening

The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is the most widely used questionnaire for detecting depressive symptoms worldwide. It consists of 9 questions based on the diagnostic criteria of the DSM-5.

Each question refers to the past two weeks and is rated on a scale of 0 to 3:

0 — Not at all
1 — Several days
2 — More than half the days
3 — Nearly every day

The total score ranges from 0 to 27 and is categorized by severity:

0–4: Minimal / no depressive symptoms
5–9: Mild depressive symptoms
10–14: Moderate depressive symptoms
15–19: Moderately severe symptoms
20–27: Severe depressive symptoms

Important: The PHQ-9 is a screening tool, not a diagnosis. A high score doesn't automatically mean you have depression — but it's a strong signal to consider seeking professional help.

GAD-7: Identifying Anxiety Disorders

The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) is the counterpart to the PHQ-9 for anxiety symptoms. With 7 questions, it captures the frequency of typical anxiety symptoms over the past two weeks.

The scoring follows the same pattern (0–3 per question), with a total score of 0 to 21:

0–4: Minimal anxiety
5–9: Mild anxiety
10–14: Moderate anxiety
15–21: Severe anxiety

GAD-7 and PHQ-9 are often used together in clinical practice, as depression and anxiety frequently co-occur.

Why Tracking Over Time Makes the Difference

A single questionnaire score is a snapshot. The real value comes from repeated measurements over weeks and months:

You spot trends: Is your score improving? Getting worse?
You see correlations: How does your PHQ-9 score relate to your influence factors?
You have objective data for conversations with your therapist or doctor
You can verify the effectiveness of interventions — whether therapy, medication, or lifestyle changes

InnerPulse displays your questionnaire results as a trend curve. So you can see at a glance how your scores are developing.

Clinical Tests + Mood Tracking = More Clarity

Combining daily mood tracking with regular clinical questionnaires gives you the complete picture:

Daily tracking shows you short-term fluctuations and their triggers
Clinical tests provide a well-founded assessment over longer periods
82 influence factors help you understand what truly shapes your mood

That's the InnerPulse approach: Not just asking "How am I feeling?" but understanding why — with data, not guesswork.

Who Are Clinical Questionnaires For?

Clinical screening tests are useful for anyone who wants to better understand their mental health:

If you wonder whether your mood is "normal": The tests give you a scientific frame of reference
If you're in therapy: Share your results as a basis for discussion — InnerPulse offers CSV export
If you take medication: Track whether and how it's working
If you want to optimize yourself: Understand which factors have the greatest impact on your well-being

Your Data Belongs to You

One point that's crucial with sensitive health data: All data in InnerPulse stays on your device. No cloud, no account, no tracking. Your questionnaire results are as private as your diary.