Comparing the PHQ-9 to the Multidimensional Behavioral Health Screen in Predicting Depression-Related Symptomatology in a Primary Medical Care Sample

Abstract

Depression is the most common form of psychopathology affecting people in the US. It is commonly diagnosed and treated in primary medical care settings, creating a need for a reliable, quick self-report tool used for the assessment of depression in this context. There is an emerging shift in the way psychopathology is conceptualized, as the field begins to transition from a categorical, syndrome-based model to a dimensional model. This change should be reflected in the assessment tool used within the primary care setting. The PHQ-9 is currently the most frequently used assessment tool for evaluating depression within primary care clinics, despite being based on the heterogenous, categorical method of conceptualizing psychopathology. The Multidimensional Behavioral Health Screen is a brief and efficient screening-level assessment tool for core psychopathology components (rather than syndromes), with a specific focus on depressive symptomatology. This study presents empirical evidence supporting the implementation of the MBHS in primary care clinics as a useful alternative to the PHQ-9.