End
GAD-7 Score
Rapid screening for the presence of a clinically significant anxiety disorder (GAD, PD, SP & PTSD) and tracking symptom severity.
Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by the following problems?
1 Feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge
2 Not being able to stop or control worrying
3 Worrying too much about different things
4 Trouble relaxing
5 Being so restless that it is hard to sit still
6 Becoming easily annoyed or irritable
7 Feeling afraid, as if something awful might happen
0
Points
Calculating…
| Score | Symptom Severity | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 0 – 4 | Minimal Anxiety | None/Minimal symptoms. |
| 5 – 9 | Mild Anxiety | Monitor. |
| 10 – 14 | Moderate Anxiety | Possible clinically significant condition. Consider further assessment. |
| 15 – 21 | Severe Anxiety | Active treatment probably warranted. |
1
Scores ≥ 10: Further assessment (including diagnostic interview and mental status examination) and/or referral to a mental health professional is recommended.
2
Cutoff Variations: For Panic Disorder, Social Phobia, & PTSD, a cutoff score of 8 may be used for optimal sensitivity/specificity.
3
Medical Causes: Do not forget to rule out medical causes of anxiety before diagnosing an anxiety disorder (e.g., EKG for arrhythmias, TSH for thyroid disease).
4
Functional Impairment: Asking the patient “How difficult have these problems made it for you to do your work, take care of things at home, or get along with other people?” is a good indicator of global impairment and helps track treatment response (even though it doesn’t affect the point score).
5
Not a Diagnosis: This tool should be used for screening and monitoring symptom severity and cannot replace a clinical assessment and formal diagnosis.
