Using the PHQ-9 for depression screening and treatment monitoring for Chinese Americans in primary care.

Objective: Because Chinese Americans are known to underutilize mental health services, routine screening for depression in primary care clinics has been advocated as a means of identifying Chinese-American patients with depression and initiating appropriate treatment. This analysis evaluated the utility of the nine-item depression module of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) for depression screening and monitoring treatment outcomes among Chinese Americans at a primary health care setting.

Methods: A total of 3,417 patients who presented for an initial or annual physical examination with their primary care providers were screened for depression between January and October 2003 at the Charles B.