GAD-7 Information — Stats with R

GAD-7 Anxiety Screener

Name of the Test: Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7)

Creators: Drs. Robert L. Spitzer, Janet B.W. Williams, Kurt Kroenke, and colleagues, with support from Pfizer Inc.

Purpose: The GAD-7 is a self-administered diagnostic tool designed to screen, diagnose, monitor, and measure the severity of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

What it Tests: The GAD-7 consists of seven questions that assess the frequency of anxiety symptoms over the past two weeks. It evaluates:

Feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge
Not being able to stop or control worrying
Worrying too much about different things
Trouble relaxing
Being so restless that it is hard to sit still
Becoming easily annoyed or irritable
Feeling afraid as if something awful might happen

Scoring: Each item is scored on a scale from 0 ("not at all") to 3 ("nearly every day"), with the total score ranging from 0 to 21. The severity of anxiety is classified as follows:

0-4: Minimal anxiety
5-9: Mild anxiety
10-14: Moderate anxiety
15-21: Severe anxiety

Target Population: The GAD-7 is intended for use in adults, including general medical and mental health patients, as well as the general population. It is commonly used in primary care settings, hospitals, and community health centers.

Mental Health Screening Application: We offer this test in our mental health screening application that contains a collection of commonly used screening tests for the convenience of patients and practitioners.