Which statement is true regarding the PHQ-4?

• A. It ranges from 0-27 with higher scores indicating milder presentations.
• B. It ranges from 0-27 with lower scores indicating milder presentations.
• C. It ranges from 0-27 with lower scores indicating more severe presentations.
• D. It ranges from 0-50 with lower scores indicating milder presentations.

Answer: (B)

PHQ-4 is a brief screening tool with four questions, each scored from 0 to 3, giving a total score that can range from 0 to 12. The higher the total, the more severe the symptoms of anxiety and depression. So, lower scores correspond to milder presentations. Among the options, the idea that lower scores indicate milder aligns with the scoring direction, but the stated range is incorrect: the real range is 0–12, not 0–27 or 0–50. The other choices either give the wrong range or reverse the relationship between score and severity. In short, true understanding is: range 0–12, with lower scores milder and higher scores more severe.