PHQ-A (Adolescent Depression Screen)
Screens for depression in adolescents ages 12-17 using the adapted PHQ-9
- Highest activation tier
- Recommended
- How it is scored
- Scored in code; a stated value is compared only from the structured summary or a supplied value
- Scoring type
- questionnaire
- Care settings
- Emergency department, Inpatient, Outpatient
When it activates
Scribeable activates a calculator from the encounter. The PHQ-A (Adolescent Depression Screen) can activate when the transcript or pasted chart context documents any of these:
- Adolescent depression screening
- Teen mood assessment
- Pediatric mental health screening
Inputs the note needs
1 input. Each is resolved from the transcript, the pasted chart context and charted labs; at this calculator’s tier a missing input is never requested, and a missing required input keeps the score out of the draft.
| Input | Type | Unit / options | Guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
| PHQ-A score (0-27) | symptom |
Scoring
9 items scored 0-3 (not at all, several days, more than half the days, nearly every day). Total 0-27.
Interpretation
0-4: Minimal/none. 5-9: Mild. 10-14: Moderate. 15-19: Moderately severe. 20-27: Severe depression.
Evidence
Sources carried in Scribeable's citation registry for this calculator; guideline version: Johnson 2002.
- Johnson JG et al. The Patient Health Questionnaire for Adolescents: validation of an instrument for the assessment of mental disorders among adolescent primary care patientsJohnson et al. (PHQ-A) 2002 · 2002 · Level I · link last verified 2026-03-28
How Scribeable handles it in the note
When an encounter activates the PHQ-A (Adolescent Depression Screen) (its highest tier is recommended), Scribeable does not ask you for missing inputs. The score is computed in code from whatever inputs resolve from the transcript, the pasted chart context or charted labs; a computed value is written into the draft only when every required input already resolves.
The score is computed in code from the resolved inputs, not recalled by the language model. A stated PHQ-A (Adolescent Depression Screen) value is compared against the computed one when the draft's structured summary carries it; a disagreement found there is flagged to the second drafting pass, which is instructed to correct the score and its interpretation, unless Scribeable has supplied the computed value to that pass, in which case the value the draft writes is checked against the supplied one and a detected difference is shown beside the note for you to adjudicate rather than silently rewritten.
Classified as a questionnaire: a patient-reported or clinician-rated instrument, where a spare activation carries low harm.
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