GAD-7 Anxiety Scale: Score and Severity Bands

What it measures

The Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item Scale (GAD-7; Spitzer, Kroenke, Williams and Löwe, 2006) asks how often, over the last 2 weeks, the patient has been bothered by seven anxiety symptoms: feeling nervous or on edge, not being able to stop or control worrying, worrying too much about different things, trouble relaxing, restlessness, irritability, and feeling afraid that something awful might happen. It is a screening and severity tool, not a standalone diagnostic instrument.

Items and scoring

Each item is rated 0 (not at all), 1 (several days), 2 (over half the days) or 3 (nearly every day). The total is the sum of the seven items, from 0 to 21. The tool updates the total as you answer and shows the severity band only once all seven items are answered; until then it shows how many items are complete.

Total	Severity	Suggested action shown by the tool
0–4	Minimal	Monitor; reassess as needed
5–9	Mild	Watchful waiting; consider re-evaluation in 2–4 weeks
10–14	Moderate	Possible anxiety disorder; consider treatment plan or referral
15–21	Severe	Likely anxiety disorder; active treatment recommended

An optional eighth question asks how difficult the problems have made work, home life or getting along with others (not difficult at all, somewhat, very, or extremely difficult). It is recorded in the report but does not change the score.

Interpreting the result

A score of 10 or more warrants further clinical evaluation. At that threshold the tool cites a sensitivity of 89% and specificity of 82% for generalized anxiety disorder. The tool also notes that at 10 or more the GAD-7 picks up panic disorder, social anxiety and PTSD with moderate sensitivity (about 66–74%; Kroenke 2007). A positive screen should be followed by a clinical interview.

What the report includes

Generate Report copies a plain-text summary to the clipboard for pasting into the EMR. It contains the date, total score out of 21, severity band and suggested action, the functional-impairment answer if one was chosen, each item with its rating, the scoring bands, and the screening threshold. A reset button clears all responses after confirmation.