A study of the diagnostic accuracy of the PHQ-9 in primary care elderly

BMC Primary Care

Table 2 Sensitivity and specificity of depression screening instruments for diagnosing major depression at various cutpoints*

Instrument and Cutpoint	Sensitivity (%) (95% CI)	Specificity (%) (95% CI)	+ Likelihood Ratio	- Likelihood Ratio
PHQ-9 Cutpoint
≥8	88	75	3.6	0.16
	(56-98)	(71-77)
≥9	88	80	4.4	0.16
	(56-98)	(76-82)
≥10	63	82	3.5	0.46
	(33-86)	(78-85)
≥11	63	84	3.8	0.45
	(33-85)	(80-87)
≥12	63	84	3.8	0.45
	(33-85)	(80-87)
PHQ-2 Cutpoint
≥1	88	61	2.2	0.21
	(55-98)	(56-62)
≥2	75	67	2.3	0.37
	(43-93)	(63-70)
≥3	63	85	4.2	0.44
	(33-85)	(81-88)
≥4	38	93	5.7	0.67
	(15-62)	(91-97)
≥5	38	98	22.9	0.64
	(16-48)	(96-100)
15-item GDS Cutpoint
≥5	100	15	1.2	0.00
	(73-100)	(11-15)
≥6	100	58	2.4	0.00
	(70-100)	(54-59)
≥7	75	77	3.2	0.33
	(43-93)	(72-79)
≥8	25	87	1.9	0.86
	(7-54)	(84-91)
≥9	13	93	1.9	0.94
	(2-37)	(92-97)

* Cutpoints are specific sum scores that distinguish between individuals with and without the disorder. Bolded cutpoints indicate the optimum balance between sensitivity and specificity, while italicized cutpoints are those that are typically cited in the literature as being those that optimize sensitivity and specificity for the detection of major depression for each respective instrument when applied to the general population.
^† CI = confidence interval.

ISSN: 2731-4553