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Self-Test for Anxiety

Overview

This questionnaire—called the GAD-7 screening tool—can help you find out if you might have an anxiety disorder that needs treatment. It calculates how many common symptoms you have and—based on your answers—suggests where you might be on a scale, from mild to severe anxiety.

GAD-7 stands for "generalized anxiety disorder" and the 7 questions in the tool. Choose one answer for each of the 7 questions below:

GAD-7 Screening Tool

Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by the following problems?

Not at all

Several days

More than half the days

Nearly every day

1. Feeling nervous, anxious or on edge

0

1

2

3

2. Not being able to stop or control worrying

0

1

2

3

3. Worrying too much about different things

0

1

2

3

4. Trouble relaxing

0

1

2

3

5. Being so restless that it's hard to sit still

0

1

2

3

6. Becoming easily annoyed or irritable

0

1

2

3

7. Feeling afraid, as if something awful might happen

0

1

2

3
Add up your results for each column
     
Total score (add column totals together)



What your total score means

Your total score is a guide to how severe your anxiety disorder may be.

  • 0 to 4 = mild anxiety
  • 5 to 9 = moderate anxiety
  • 10 to 14 = moderately severe anxiety
  • 15 to 21 = severe anxiety

If your score is 10 or higher, or if you feel that anxiety is affecting your daily life, call your doctor.

The GAD-7 was developed by Drs. Robert L. Spitzer, Janet B. W. Williams, Kurt Kroenke, and colleagues, with an education grant from Pfizer, Inc.

References

Citations

  1. Spitzer RL, et al. (2006). A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: The GAD-7. Archives of Internal Medicine, 166(10): 1092–1097. Available online: http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/166/10/1092.

Credits

Current as of: October 20, 2022

Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:
Kathleen Romito MD - Family Medicine
Christine R. Maldonado PhD - Behavioral Health

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