Clinician or parent? Hand your device over with the score hidden, or send the test to their phone.
7 questions · about 2–4 minutes
For each one, pick the answer that fits you best over the past two weeks. There are no right or wrong answers.
Your answers stay on this device. Nothing is saved or sent unless you choose to email the results. This screening tool is for educational and self-awareness purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional diagnosis. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.
- Questions
- 7
- Time
- 2–4 min
- Looks back over
- The past two weeks
- Score range
- 0–21
- Cost
- Free
What the GAD-7 measures
- Excessive worry and nervousness
- Inability to stop or control worrying
- Worrying about multiple different things
- Difficulty relaxing
- Restlessness or feeling on edge
- Irritability
- Feelings of dread or apprehension
The history of the GAD-7
After the PHQ-9 took off, the same team, joined by Dr. Bernd Löwe, wanted an equally short measure for anxiety. Generalized anxiety disorder is one of the most common anxiety conditions seen in primary care, and it was often missed.
They started with 13 candidate questions covering the DSM-IV symptoms of generalized anxiety and tested them with 2,740 adults across 15 primary care clinics in the United States. The seven that best matched a clinician's diagnosis became the GAD-7, published in 2006. At a cutoff of 10 it identified generalized anxiety disorder with 89% sensitivity and 82% specificity.
Follow-up research found it also picks up panic disorder, social anxiety and PTSD reasonably well, which is why many clinicians use it as a general anxiety check rather than a test for one condition. Like the PHQ-9, it is free to use without permission, and its first two questions make up the GAD-2.
How it is used today
The GAD-7 was developed by Drs. Robert L. Spitzer, Kurt Kroenke, Janet B.W. Williams, and Bernd Löwe. It is a brief, validated measure of generalized anxiety disorder severity that has been extensively tested across diverse populations and clinical settings.
The GAD-7 is particularly useful because it not only screens for generalized anxiety disorder but also provides a severity measure that can be used to monitor treatment response over time. While primarily designed for GAD, research has shown it has good sensitivity for detecting panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
How the GAD-7 is scored
- Every question is answered on the same scale, from "Not at all" (0 points) to "Nearly every day" (3 points).
- The answers are added together for a total from 0 to 21.
- For example, answering "Several days" to all 7 questions gives 1 × 7 = 7, which falls in the Mild Anxiety range.
GAD-7 score ranges
The ranges this quiz uses to label a score. They describe where a score falls, not a diagnosis.
| Result | Score |
|---|---|
| Minimal Anxiety | 0–4 |
| Mild Anxiety | 5–9 |
| Moderate Anxiety | 10–14 |
| Severe Anxiety | 15–21 |
How to read the results
- It is a snapshot, not a diagnosis. The score describes the past two weeks, and a label only says where that falls compared with the people the questionnaire was tested on. A word like "mild" does not mean a mild disorder.
- Look at the answers, not only the total. Which questions scored highest often says more about what to work on than the number does.
- Compare with yourself over time. Taking it again in a few weeks, or after starting therapy, shows whether things are moving. Compare each score with your own earlier one, not with someone else's.
- Talk it through. A clinician will ask what no questionnaire can: how long it has been like this, what else is going on, and how much it gets in the way.
- It does not ask about suicide. The GAD-7 has no question about thoughts of death or self-harm, so a clinician should ask directly. If you are having those thoughts, call or text 988.
The GAD-7 compared with similar tests
| Test | Screens for | Questions | Looks back over | Asks about suicide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHQ-9 | Depression | 9 | The past two weeks | Yes |
| EPDS | Depression in pregnancy and after birth | 10 | The past seven days | Yes |
| CESD-R | Depression, as a community screen | 20 | The past two weeks | Yes |
| HAM-D | Depression, including physical symptoms | 17 | The past week | Yes |
| MADRS | Depression, and how it changes in treatment | 10 | The past week | Yes |
| GAD-7 (this page) | Generalized anxiety | 7 | The past two weeks | No |
| OCI-R | Obsessions and compulsions | 18 | The past month | No |
| HAM-A | Anxiety, including physical symptoms | 14 | The past week | No |
| DASS-21 | Depression, anxiety and stress, scored separately | 21 | The past week | No |
Using the GAD-7 with clients
- Baseline, then repeat. Give it at intake, then at regular intervals, and compare each score with the client's own earlier ones to see whether treatment is working.
- Hand to client. Give it on your own device in session. The questions fill the screen with nothing else on it, and the scores stay hidden until you take the device back and press Show results.
- Send to someone. Send a link before the session by text or email. Tick "Ask for a copy of their results" and their results page offers to email you their score. They decide whether to send it. Your address travels in the link itself and never reaches our servers.
- Copy summary and Print. The results screen copies a one-line summary for the session note, or prints the results on their own.
- Nothing is stored. Answers stay in the browser. Results leave it only when someone chooses to email them, and that email is not kept.
- Billing. Giving and scoring a standardized instrument like the GAD-7 is commonly billed as CPT 96127, one unit per instrument. Payers set their own limits, so check before relying on it.
Diagnosis codes often documented for this concern
For reference only. A screening score is not a diagnosis, and none of these follows from a score on its own.
- F53.0 Postpartum Depression
- F32.1 Major Depressive Disorder, Single Episode, Moderate
- F33.1 Major Depressive Disorder, Recurrent, Moderate
- F41.1 Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- F41.0 Panic Disorder
- F40.10 Social Anxiety Disorder
- F40.00 Agoraphobia
- F41.8 Other Specified Anxiety Disorder
- F41.9 Unspecified Anxiety Disorder
- F43.22 Adjustment Disorder with Anxiety
Where to go from here
- Perinatal Mental Health Therapy at Crown Counseling · in Brooklyn and online across New York
- Free EMDR bilateral stimulation tools · for calming between sessions, or for therapists to run remotely
- Free resources for therapists
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the GAD-7?+
The GAD-7 (Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale) is a validated screening tool used to assess the severity of generalized anxiety. It consists of 7 questions about anxiety symptoms experienced over the past two weeks.
How accurate is the GAD-7?+
The GAD-7 has excellent reliability and validity. At a cutoff score of 10, it has a sensitivity of 89% and specificity of 82% for detecting generalized anxiety disorder. It is one of the most widely used anxiety measures in clinical practice.
How is the GAD-7 scored?+
Each question is scored 0-3, giving a total range of 0-21. Scores of 0-4 indicate minimal anxiety, 5-9 mild, 10-14 moderate, and 15-21 severe anxiety.
Can the GAD-7 detect other anxiety disorders?+
While designed for generalized anxiety disorder, research shows the GAD-7 has reasonable sensitivity for detecting panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and PTSD, making it a useful general anxiety screener.
Are my responses stored?+
No. All responses remain completely private and local to your browser. No data is collected, stored, or transmitted to any server.
References
- Spitzer RL, Kroenke K, Williams JBW, Löwe B. A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: the GAD-7. Arch Intern Med. 2006;166(10):1092-1097.
- Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JB, Monahan PO, Löwe B. Anxiety disorders in primary care: prevalence, impairment, comorbidity, and detection. Ann Intern Med. 2007;146(5):317-325.
- Löwe B, Decker O, Müller S, et al. Validation and standardization of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Screener (GAD-7). Med Care. 2008;46(3):266-274.
- Plummer F, Manea L, Trepel D, McMillan D. Screening for anxiety disorders with the GAD-7 and GAD-2. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2016;39:24-31.
- American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5). 2013.