The GAD-7 asks about seven anxiety symptoms over the past two weeks. This page provides the scored items and a separate functional-difficulty follow-up, using the NIH-hosted form as a text reference. It calculates a screening score, not a diagnosis. Questionnaire source
How to Take This Assessment
Use the past two weeks, as the questionnaire instructs. Choose one frequency response for each of the seven items; the form does not accept an unanswered item as zero. The response values are 0, 1, 2 and 3, producing a possible total of 0–21. NIH-hosted questionnaire
Read each item separately rather than selecting the same answer to make the output look consistent. If you change an answer, the earlier result is cleared. Recalculate only after checking the current selections. This avoids displaying a score based on answers that are no longer on the screen.
Worked scoring example: Five items selected at 1, one at 2 and one at 3 give 5 + 2 + 3 = 10. Seven zero responses give 0; seven responses of 3 give 21. These examples test addition and the published range, not your probability of having a disorder.
The questionnaire also asks how difficult any reported problems make work, home responsibilities or getting along with other people. That follow-up is not added to the seven-item total. The optional difficulty response on this site supplies context alongside the number, without altering it. Questionnaire follow-up
For a record to bring to an appointment, note the completion date, two-week period, individual responses, total and difficulty response. Do not describe a missing answer as “no symptoms,” and do not silently change the recall period to six months or to one difficult day.
What Your GAD-7 Score Means
The original study discussed thresholds of 5, 10 and 15 for symptom-severity interpretation. This site labels them as score bands, avoiding the claim that a band proves a particular amount of interference in your life. Original study, Comment section
| Total | Displayed band | Limit of the label |
|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | Minimal | Does not rule out distress or another condition |
| 5–9 | Mild | Does not select a lifestyle or treatment plan |
| 10–14 | Moderate | Not a diagnosis or an individual disease probability |
| 15–21 | Severe | Does not determine a medication or emergency status |
In the original adult U.S. primary-care study, a threshold of 10 had 89% sensitivity and 82% specificity for GAD. Those are study-level test characteristics, not an 89% chance that you have GAD. The study involved 15 clinics and used professional interviews as a comparison. Methods and Table 1
More recent evidence also cautions against treating those percentages as universal. A 2025 Cochrane diagnostic-accuracy review included 48 studies across different settings, countries and languages, finding substantial differences between populations. Its authors describe the summary sensitivity and specificity as rough averages whose performance may differ substantially in particular situations. Review abstract and conclusions
A move from 9 to 10 changes the displayed band because it crosses a threshold. It does not establish a sudden biological change at that boundary. Keep the actual responses and the context, rather than reporting only “moderate” to someone who has not seen the questionnaire.
What Anxiety Actually Is: The Neuroscience
The biology of anxiety is not reduced here to an overactive amygdala and underactive “rational” brain. NIMH says the exact cause of GAD is unknown and describes a mixture of genetics, brain chemistry, biology and environment. The questionnaire does not measure any of these factors. NIMH causes
NIMH lists physical experiences such as muscle tension, headaches, stomach discomfort and feeling out of breath among possible GAD symptoms. That does not prove that a particular chest symptom or breathing difficulty is caused by anxiety or that there is no physical danger. Assessment can include a physical examination to consider other causes. Symptoms and assessment
When describing an experience, separate observation from explanation: “I noticed shaking during a meeting” is an observation; “my brain circuit is overactive” is an interpretation this form cannot establish. The same distinction applies to a fast pulse or poor sleep. Neither a symptom description nor a GAD-7 score measures hormones, neural activity or medical safety.
Anxiety vs. Normal Worry
Occasional worry differs from persistent anxiety that interferes with daily life. NIMH explains that GAD assessment considers difficulty controlling worry on most days for at least six months, alongside other symptoms and the clinical history. The questionnaire's two-week recall period is not that diagnostic-duration assessment. NIMH diagnosis
You do not have to turn your history into a diagnosis before describing it. Useful notes can distinguish when a problem began, how often it occurs and what it interrupts. For example, record whether a worry arose during one recent event or has recurred over a longer period. Those notes are not a replacement set of diagnostic criteria, and this page does not score them.
A two-week total cannot verify a six-month history. Conversely, entering symptoms for a longer period than requested would produce a different assessment than the published questionnaire. Keep the two timelines separate when sharing the result.
What the GAD-7 Measures Specifically
The scored items ask about nervousness, worrying, relaxing, restlessness, irritability and fear. The exact item text is available in the linked form. The seven-item total does not directly ask about every anxiety disorder, depression, childhood history, medical causes or immediate suicide risk. NIH questionnaire
A clinician may need information beyond the number. For instance, write down the context of an episode, which activities were interrupted and any concerns that the seven items did not capture. Do not add points for those notes or substitute your own questions into the total.
The original researchers explicitly noted that the scale focused on GAD and that other anxiety disorders also require attention. It provides a starting point for further evaluation, not a complete mental-health examination. Study limitations
When to Seek Professional Help
If anxiety is affecting daily life, discuss it with a healthcare provider. NIMH describes assessment of the history and effects on daily activities, rather than requiring a website threshold before a person can ask for help. NIMH assessment
NIMH describes psychotherapy, medication or both as treatment options, chosen according to a person's needs, preferences and medical situation. The score does not decide between them. This site does not convert the mild, moderate or severe band into a medication recommendation or claim that everyone in one band needs the same intervention. Treatment context
You can bring the questionnaire result alongside your own notes. It may help to include what you would like an appointment to address, such as sleep difficulties or problems completing everyday responsibilities. Keep any existing professional plan separate from this educational result.
For crisis support in the United States, NIMH links to 988; in a life-threatening situation, call 911. Elsewhere use the appropriate local crisis or emergency service. A low score is not an emergency assessment, and the form contains no suicide-risk question. NIMH crisis guidance
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the GAD-7 anxiety test?
It is a seven-item anxiety questionnaire published by Spitzer and colleagues in 2006. This page calculates its seven-item total and shows the published bands, with the study population and limits stated. Original study
Is this an official anxiety screening?
This is an independent website implementation, not an assessment issued or endorsed by NIH or your clinician. The item text and scoring reference are linked, but source links do not provide clinical supervision or validate the website itself. NIH-hosted form
What does a GAD-7 score of 10 mean?
It is the beginning of this site's moderate score band and the study's commonly used screening threshold. It does not prove GAD, a particular level of functional impairment or a need for a specific treatment. Original interpretation
Can the GAD-7 diagnose anxiety?
No. The original study calls for further evaluation. The 2025 review finds variable test performance across settings rather than a universal accuracy guarantee. Discuss the result with its history and context. Original limitations; review
How often should I retake this?
Keep the questionnaire's two-week timeframe and follow any instructions from your healthcare provider. This page assigns no universal 2–4-week or 3–6-month schedule. If comparing records, retain the dates and responses rather than treating a band change alone as proof that treatment worked.
Sources
- NIH NIEHS-hosted GAD-7 form, exact seven items, response values, recall period and unscored difficulty question.
- Spitzer and colleagues, 2006, JAMA Internal Medicine, original study by researchers at Columbia, Indiana and Heidelberg universities: adult U.S. primary-care sample, Table 1 test characteristics and Comment section bands/limits.
- NIMH: Generalized Anxiety Disorder—What You Need to Know, diagnosis, possible causes, symptoms, treatment context and U.S. crisis resources.
- 2025 Cochrane GAD-7/GAD-2 diagnostic-accuracy review, population variability and limitations. The reviewed article is research, not a government endorsement.
Sources checked October 5, 2026.
This screening tool does not diagnose anxiety disorders or any other condition. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please contact a crisis helpline or seek emergency care.
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Instrument attribution and use: The PHQ family, including GAD-7, was developed by Robert L. Spitzer, Janet B. W. Williams, Kurt Kroenke and colleagues. The original instruction manual, page 8, hosted by the Joint Commission states that its included measures may be reproduced, translated, displayed and distributed without permission. This identifies the instrument’s origin and use terms; its authors have not reviewed or endorsed this website implementation.