The Two-Question Method in Other High-Stress Settings

To the Editor We read with great interest about the useful 2-question screening for depression by Dr Whooley in a recent issue of JAMA Internal Medicine.¹ Chronic stress or depression is not only a cause of much morbidity but also mortality. The 2 questions posed were: During the past month, (1) have you often been bothered by feeling down, depressed, or hopeless?, and (2) have you often been bothered by little interest or pleasure in doing things? Dr Whooley reported a high sensitivity using full Prime-MD evaluation as the golden standard.¹ An alternative screening tool is supplied by Kroenke and coauthors using the Patient Health Questionnaire-2.²