The Accuracy of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 Algorithm for Screening to Detect Major Depression: An Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis

Chen He, Brooke Levis, Kira E Riehm, Nazanin Saadat, Alexander W Levis, Marleine Azar, Danielle B Rice, Ankur Krishnan, Yin Wu, Ying Sun, Mahrukh Imran, Jill Boruff, Pim Cuijpers, Simon Gilbody, John P A Ioannidis, Lorie A Kloda, Dean McMillan, Scott B Patten, Ian Shrier, Roy C ZiegelsteinDickens H Akena, Bruce Arroll, Liat Ayalon, Hamid R Baradaran, Murray Baron, Anna Beraldi, Charles H Bombardier, Peter Butterworth, Gregory Carter, Marcos Hortes Nisihara Chagas, Juliana C N Chan, Rushina Cholera, Kerrie Clover, Yeates Conwell, Janneke M de Man-van Ginkel, Jesse R Fann, Felix H Fischer, Daniel Fung, Bizu Gelaye, Felicity Goodyear-Smith, Catherine G Greeno, Brian J Hall, Patricia A Harrison, Martin Härter, Ulrich Hegerl, Leanne Hides, Stevan E Hobfoll, Marie Hudson, Thomas N Hyphantis, Masatoshi Inagaki, Khalida Ismail, Nathalie Jetté, Mohammad E Khamseh, Kim M Kiely, Yunxin Kwan, Femke Lamers, Shen-Ing Liu, Manote Lotrakul, Sonia R Loureiro, Bernd Löwe, Laura Marsh, Anthony McGuire, Sherina Mohd-Sidik, Tiago N Munhoz, Kumiko Muramatsu, Flávia L Osório, Vikram Patel, Brian W Pence, Philippe Persoons, Angelo Picardi, Katrin Reuter, Alasdair G Rooney, Iná S da Silva Dos Santos, Juwita Shaaban, Abbey Sidebottom, Adam Simning, Lesley Stafford, Sharon Sung, Pei Lin Lynnette Tan, Alyna Turner, Henk C P M van Weert, Jennifer White, Mary A Whooley, Kirsty Winkley, Mitsuhiko Yamada, Brett D Thombs, Andrea Benedetti

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Screening for major depression with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) can be done using a cutoff or the PHQ-9 diagnostic algorithm. Many primary studies publish results for only one approach, and previous meta-analyses of the algorithm approach included only a subset of primary studies that collected data and could have published results.

OBJECTIVE: To use an individual participant data meta-analysis to evaluate the accuracy of two PHQ-9 diagnostic algorithms for detecting major depression and compare accuracy between the algorithms and the standard PHQ-9 cutoff score of ≥10.

METHODS: Medline, Medline In-Process and Other Non-Indexed Citations, PsycINFO, Web of Science (January 1, 2000, to February 7, 2015). Eligible studies that classified current major depression status using a validated diagnostic interview.

RESULTS: Data were included for 54 of 72 identified eligible studies (n participants = 16,688, n cases = 2,091). Among studies that used a semi-structured interview, pooled sensitivity and specificity (95% confidence interval) were 0.57 (0.49, 0.64) and 0.95 (0.94, 0.97) for the original algorithm and 0.61 (0.54, 0.68) and 0.95 (0.93, 0.96) for a modified algorithm. Algorithm sensitivity was 0.22-0.24 lower compared to fully structured interviews and 0.06-0.07 lower compared to the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Specificity was similar across reference standards. For PHQ-9 cutoff of ≥10 compared to semi-structured interviews, sensitivity and specificity (95% confidence interval) were 0.88 (0.82-0.92) and 0.86 (0.82-0.88).

CONCLUSIONS: The cutoff score approach appears to be a better option than a PHQ-9 algorithm for detecting major depression.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)25-37
Number of pages13
JournalPsychotherapy and Psychosomatics
Volume89
Issue number1
Early online date8 Oct 2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2020

Keywords

  • Depression
  • Diagnostic accuracy
  • Health
  • Meta-analysis
  • Patient
  • Questionnaire-9
  • Screening

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The Accuracy of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 Algorithm for Screening to Detect Major Depression: An Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this