Which tool provides a rapid screen for depression in adolescents?

Which tool provides a rapid screen for depression in adolescents?

• A. RAAPS
• B. PHQ-2
• C. CRAFFT
• D. HEEADSSS

Answer: (B)

Depression screening in adolescents is most efficient when you use a brief tool that can be completed quickly in a clinic visit. The PHQ-2 fits that need perfectly because it asks just two questions about depressed mood and loss of interest over the past two weeks. Its brevity makes it a rapid screen: if the two-item screen raises concern, clinicians typically follow with a more detailed assessment (like the PHQ-9) to determine severity and the need for further care. Other tools have broader or different purposes. RAAPS screens multiple health risk domains in a single quick interview, not specifically focused on depressive symptoms. CRAFFT targets substance-related risk rather than mood disorders. HEEADSSS is a comprehensive psychosocial assessment framework used to explore various risk factors, including mood, but it isn’t a quick, depression-specific screen on its own.

Depression screening in adolescents is most efficient when you use a brief tool that can be completed quickly in a clinic visit. The PHQ-2 fits that need perfectly because it asks just two questions about depressed mood and loss of interest over the past two weeks. Its brevity makes it a rapid screen: if the two-item screen raises concern, clinicians typically follow with a more detailed assessment (like the PHQ-9) to determine severity and the need for further care.

Other tools have broader or different purposes. RAAPS screens multiple health risk domains in a single quick interview, not specifically focused on depressive symptoms. CRAFFT targets substance-related risk rather than mood disorders. HEEADSSS is a comprehensive psychosocial assessment framework used to explore various risk factors, including mood, but it isn’t a quick, depression-specific screen on its own.