Score the GAD-7 generalized anxiety disorder questionnaire. Includes severity interpretation, item-level analysis, and symptom-domain context.
The GAD-7 (Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item) Calculator implements one of the most widely used standardized screening tools for generalized anxiety symptoms. Developed by Spitzer, Kroenke, Williams, and Löwe (2006), the GAD-7 is a brief, validated self-report questionnaire that assesses the frequency of core anxiety symptoms over the preceding two weeks.
The GAD-7 demonstrates strong psychometric performance and is commonly used in primary care, behavioral health, and measurement-based care workflows. It is meant to support screening and symptom tracking, not to replace a diagnostic interview.
Beyond generalized anxiety screening, elevated scores can also appear in panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other conditions. This calculator therefore works best as a structured symptom summary with severity grading and domain context rather than as a stand-alone treatment recommender.
Anxiety disorders are common and often under-recognized in routine care. The GAD-7 is useful because it gives one quick, standardized severity measure that can be tracked over time.
This page is most valuable as a screening and symptom-tracking worksheet. It keeps the score, the severity band, and the item pattern together without pretending the questionnaire alone establishes a diagnosis or treatment plan.
GAD-7 Score = Sum of 7 items (each scored 0–3) Scoring key: 0 = Not at all 1 = Several days 2 = More than half the days 3 = Nearly every day Total range: 0–21 Cutoffs: • 0–4: Minimal • 5–9: Mild • 10–14: Moderate (diagnostic threshold for GAD) • 15–21: Severe anxiety
Result: GAD-7 = 12 — Moderate anxiety symptom band
A score of 12 falls in the moderate range (10–14). Items Q1–Q3 scored highest, suggesting worry and nervousness are the dominant symptom themes. This exceeds the usual screening cutoff of 10, so the next step is a fuller clinical assessment rather than treating the questionnaire as a diagnosis by itself.
The GAD-7 is widely used because it is short, reproducible, and easy to trend over time. Many practices use it as part of routine screening or symptom follow-up.
Repeated GAD-7 scores can help show whether symptoms are moving in a better, worse, or unchanged direction. That is useful for follow-up conversations, but the score should be interpreted alongside impairment, safety concerns, comorbidity, and the broader clinical interview.
A high GAD-7 score does not by itself establish a DSM diagnosis, choose a therapy, or rule out other psychiatric and medical causes of anxiety symptoms. The page works best as a structured summary of symptom burden rather than as a stand-alone treatment engine.
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This worksheet adds the seven GAD-7 items using the original 0-3 scoring scheme, then maps the total to the usual minimal, mild, moderate, and severe symptom bands. It also keeps the individual item pattern visible so the page can be used for screening context and repeat symptom tracking over time.
The GAD-7 is a screening and monitoring tool, not a diagnosis by itself. A fuller assessment still needs symptom duration, functional impairment, safety review, substance and medication review, medical causes of anxiety symptoms, and the broader mental-health picture.
A score of 10+ indicates a high probability of clinically significant generalized anxiety disorder. At this cutoff, the GAD-7 has 89% sensitivity and 82% specificity for GAD. However, the GAD-7 is a screener, not a diagnostic tool — a score ≥10 should prompt a full clinical assessment including: duration of symptoms (≥6 months for GAD per DSM-5), functional impairment, medical causes (hyperthyroidism, caffeine, medications), substance use, and other anxiety disorders (panic, social, OCD). About 74% of patients scoring ≥10 meet diagnostic criteria for GAD.
For screening: annually in primary care, or when anxiety is clinically suspected. For treatment monitoring: every 2–4 weeks during initial treatment phase, then monthly during maintenance. A clinically meaningful change is ≥5 points. GAD-7 scores should be documented in the medical record alongside treatment modifications. Some clinics administer GAD-7 at every visit as part of vital signs ("measurement-based care"). The USPSTF recommends anxiety screening for all adults under 65.
No — despite its name, the GAD-7 is sensitive to other anxiety disorders as well. Operating characteristics at ≥10: GAD (sensitivity 89%, specificity 82%), panic disorder (sensitivity 74%), social anxiety disorder (sensitivity 72%), and PTSD (sensitivity 66%). This makes it a reasonable general anxiety screener, though disorder-specific instruments (PHQ-PD for panic, SPIN for social anxiety, PCL-5 for PTSD) are more accurate for those specific conditions. The GAD-7 is not designed for OCD, specific phobias, or separation anxiety.
GAD-7 (anxiety) and PHQ-9 (depression) are companion instruments developed by the same team using similar methodology. They are frequently administered together because anxiety-depression comorbidity is extremely common (~60%). The combination takes about 5 minutes and screens for the two most prevalent mental health conditions in primary care. Scoring patterns provide useful clinical information: predominant anxiety (GAD-7 >> PHQ-9) suggests anxiolytic-focused treatment, while co-elevated scores suggest combined treatment. Both can track treatment response independently.
Consider psychiatric referral when: GAD-7 ≥15 (severe anxiety), inadequate response to 2 adequate trials of first-line medications (8–12 weeks each), significant comorbidity (depression, substance use, personality disorder), suicidal ideation, diagnostic uncertainty (which specific anxiety disorder?), pregnancy/lactation (medication safety concerns), complex medication interactions, or patient preference for specialist care. In practice, CBT with a trained therapist is the most effective referral for most anxiety disorders and can be accessed through psychology, psychiatry, or behavioral health integration programs.
The GAD-7 has been translated and validated in 50+ languages and demonstrates good cross-cultural properties. However, cultural factors affect anxiety expression: some cultures emphasize somatic symptoms (headache, GI distress, fatigue) over cognitive/emotional symptoms (worry, nervousness). Patients from somatically-oriented cultures may score lower on GAD-7 despite significant anxiety. Additionally, the 2-week recall period may not capture intermittent or culturally-patterned anxiety. The GAD-7 has been validated in diverse populations including East Asian, Latin American, Middle Eastern, and African cohorts.