GAD-7
A Brief Measure for Assessing Generalized Anxiety Disorder
The GAD-7 is a self-administered 7 item instrument to help identify probable cases of General Anxiety Disorder.
Overview of taking the GAD-7
The GAD-7 can be done easily and does not take a significant amount of time. The screener is designed to access anxiety symptoms over a two week period, below is some basic information about taking the GAD-7:
The GAD-7 is self-administered by the patient
If needed the questions can be asked by an interviewer and answered by the patient.
The GAD-7 takes 2-5 minutes to complete.
It can be taken before, during, or at the close of an appointment.
Scoring the GAD-7
Patients are asked to rate the frequency of anxiety symptoms in the last 2 weeks on a Likert scale ranging from 0-3.
0= not at all
1= several days
2= more than half the days
3= nearly every day
When scoring for anxiety disorders, a score of 8 or greater represents a reasonable cut-point for identifying probable cases of GAD.
The following cut-offs correlate with level of anxiety severity:
Score 0-4: Minimal Anxiety
Score 5-9: Mild Anxiety
Score 10-14: Moderate Anxiety
Score greater than 15: Severe Anxiety
What to do?
A score of 10 or higher on either indicates possible clinically significant anxiety, respectively.
A score of 15 or higher would indicate follow-up with a mental health professional within a week or two.
