Questionnaire
GAD-7
Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale
Seven items — the brief anxiety severity counterpart to PHQ-9, used widely in primary care.
What it measures
Generalised anxiety symptoms over the prior two weeks. Seven items rated 0–3. Total 0–21. Originally developed and validated for generalised anxiety disorder; performs reasonably for panic, social anxiety, and PTSD.
Mechanism
Why moving this marker matters
Chronic anxiety associates with cardiovascular risk, sleep disruption, and reduced quality of life — and is highly treatable when identified.
Guideline targets
What major guidelines recommend
Spitzer 2006 validation (clinical threshold)
≥10 — warrant clinical evaluation
How to measure
The test, where to get it, when to repeat
Method
Self-administered, 2 minutes. Rates frequency of seven symptoms over the prior two weeks.
Where
Public domain. Standard primary-care and psychology instrument.
Typical cost
Free.
Fasting
Not required
When to test
USPSTF 2023
19–64Recommends screening for anxiety disorders in all adults aged 19–64.
Where to score
Completing this questionnaire
Self-administered — your GP or mental-health professional can confirm scoring and discuss results.
The instrument
Items shown for reference
Validated questionnaires are shown here as reference. Read each item and count your own answers — Healicus does not compute or store a score. This keeps the page on the educational side of the EU MDR line; the instrument itself remains the validated tool.
- 1
Feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge
0 (not at all) — 3 (nearly every day)
- 2
Not being able to stop or control worrying
0 — 3
- 3
Worrying too much about different things
0 — 3
- 4
Trouble relaxing
0 — 3
- 5
Being so restless that it's hard to sit still
0 — 3
- 6
Becoming easily annoyed or irritable
0 — 3
- 7
Feeling afraid as if something awful might happen
0 — 3
Scoring (do this yourself)
Sum the seven items. Per Spitzer 2006: 0–4 minimal; 5–9 mild; 10–14 moderate; 15–21 severe. A score of 10 or more is the conventional threshold for further evaluation.
If you prefer an interactive calculator, the published MDCalc tool is available here ↗ — operated and maintained by a third party.
Context
Reading the numbers
Like PHQ-9, screening and severity-tracking instrument — not stand-alone diagnostic.
Caveats
Anxiety and depression frequently co-occur; PHQ-9 and GAD-7 are often used together.
Take to your physician
Worth discussing
- If your score is ≥10, scheduling a clinical evaluation.
- Whether your symptoms align with GAD, panic, social anxiety, or other anxiety presentations.
- What evidence-based options (CBT, SSRI, lifestyle) fit your situation.
Sources
Cited literature
Edited by Carl Pöhl, MD · Healicus editorial
Last reviewed May 2026
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