Mood Screening

Mood disorders often accompany chronic pain conditions. Use these questionnaires to test for them.

The Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-2) Scale

Ask the following questions to screen for anxiety. A higher score represents higher levels of anxiety.

Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by the following problems? Not at all Several days More than half the days Nearly every day
Feeling nervous, anxious, or on the edge 0 1 2 3
Not being able to stop or control worrying 0 1 2 3

Reference

Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JB, Lowe B. Anxiety disorders in primary care: prevalence, impairment, comorbidity, and detection. Annals of Internal Medicine 2007; 146(5):315-25. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17339617

The Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) Scale

Ask the following questions to screen for depression. A higher score represents higher levels of depression.

Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by the following problems? Not at all Several days More than half the days Nearly every day
Little interest or pleasure in doing things 0 1 2 3
Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless 0 1 2 3

Reference

Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JB. The patient health questionnaire-2: validity of a two-item depression screener. Medican Care 2003; 41(11):1284-92 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14583691

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