GAD-7 · Generalised Anxiety
Do I have anxiety? Free GAD-7 self-test
Anxiety Self-Test
The clinician-validated 7-question anxiety screener, free online.
Reviewed by Komel Kaur, Psychotherapist
Last reviewed 9 July 2026
7
Questions
~2
Minutes
Free
Always
What the GAD-7 measures
The GAD-7 (Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale) measures how often, over the past two weeks, you have been troubled by seven core anxiety symptoms: feeling nervous or on edge, uncontrollable worrying, worrying about too many different things, difficulty relaxing, restlessness, irritability, and a sense that something awful might happen.
Each item is scored 0-3, giving a total between 0 and 21. Higher scores indicate more frequent or severe anxiety symptoms over the recent fortnight.
Although developed specifically for generalised anxiety disorder, the GAD-7 has been shown to also identify panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder with reasonable accuracy. It is a general-purpose anxiety screener, not only a GAD screener.
Where the GAD-7 came from
The GAD-7 was developed in 2006 by Robert L. Spitzer, Kurt Kroenke, Janet B. W. Williams, and Bernd Löwe, and published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. It was designed as a brief, self-administered measure specifically for use in primary care, where longer anxiety instruments were impractical. Its original validation study, conducted across 15 primary care clinics with 2,740 adults, found a sensitivity of 89% and specificity of 82% for generalised anxiety disorder at a cut-off of 10. It is free to use and is now embedded in national screening guidelines in the UK, US, Canada, and Australia.
How the GAD-7 is scored
The total score maps to four severity bands. A score of 10 or higher is the conventional threshold at which further evaluation is recommended.
| Score | Severity | What it usually means |
|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | Minimal anxiety | Symptoms within the normal range for adults. |
| 5-9 | Mild anxiety | Monitor. Consider brief support or lifestyle work if symptoms persist. |
| 10-14 | Moderate anxiety | Further evaluation and a therapy plan are usually recommended. |
| 15-21 | Severe anxiety | Active treatment recommended - therapy, sometimes combined with medication. |
How the GAD-7 is used in clinical practice
The GAD-7 is used at intake to flag likely anxiety and as a repeated measure to track whether therapy or medication is working. Like the PHQ-9, a change of about 4-5 points between administrations is considered clinically meaningful.
Primary care physicians often use the GAD-7 alongside the PHQ-9 because anxiety and depression frequently co-occur, and detecting only one when both are present leads to incomplete treatment.
In cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety disorders it is common to administer the GAD-7 every 2-4 sessions to monitor progress objectively rather than relying only on subjective reports.
Limitations to keep in mind
- ·The GAD-7 does not distinguish between different anxiety disorders. A high score suggests significant anxiety symptoms, but not whether the underlying picture is GAD, panic disorder, social anxiety, or another condition. That distinction requires a clinical interview.
- ·It measures the past two weeks. It does not capture episodic conditions like panic disorder if the last panic attack was longer ago than that window.
- ·Cultural expression of anxiety varies. In some contexts, physical symptoms (chest tightness, breathlessness, dizziness) dominate the presentation and are not fully captured by the GAD-7's more cognitive items.
- ·It relies on self-report. Someone with strong avoidance may under-report anxiety because they have arranged their life to steer around what triggers it.
Before you start
- · Find a quiet few minutes - answer honestly, not how you wish you felt.
- · There are no right or wrong answers. Pick what feels closest.
- · This is a screening tool, not a diagnosis.
- · If anything brings up something heavy, support is at the end.
Common questions about the GAD-7
What is a normal GAD-7 score?
A score of 0-4 is considered minimal anxiety and is the range most adults fall into. Scores of 5-9 are mild and do not usually indicate a disorder, though they are worth paying attention to if they persist.
What does a GAD-7 score of 10 mean?
10 is the standard cut-off at which clinicians consider a positive screen for generalised anxiety disorder and recommend further evaluation. It suggests anxiety symptoms that are frequent enough to warrant a conversation with a professional.
Does the GAD-7 diagnose anxiety?
No. The GAD-7 is a screening tool, not a diagnostic one. It indicates whether anxiety is likely and worth investigating - a diagnosis requires a full clinical interview by a qualified professional.
Can the GAD-7 detect panic attacks or social anxiety?
It was designed for generalised anxiety disorder, but research shows it also screens reasonably well for panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and PTSD. It cannot tell you which of those you have - only that anxiety symptoms are present.
How is the GAD-7 different from the PHQ-9?
The PHQ-9 measures depression; the GAD-7 measures anxiety. They are two separate instruments by the same authors and are often used together because anxiety and depression frequently overlap.
Is the GAD-7 free to use?
Yes. The GAD-7 is in the public domain and can be used, reproduced, and translated without permission or fee.
Reviewed by Komel Kaur, Psychotherapist
Last reviewed 9 July 2026
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.