About this tool
- •The GAD-7 is a 7-item, free, validated anxiety screening tool used in clinical practice worldwide.
- •Each item is scored 0-3 (total range 0-21). Higher scores indicate more severe anxiety symptoms.
- •Score cutoffs: 0-4 minimal, 5-9 mild, 10-14 moderate, 15-21 severe.
- •A GAD-7 score is a SCREENING result, not a diagnosis. A score in any range only suggests further evaluation; only a clinician can diagnose an anxiety disorder.
- •The GAD-7 is specifically validated for generalized anxiety disorder but is also a useful general anxiety screening tool — patients with panic, social anxiety, or PTSD often score elevated.
- •GAD-7 was developed by Spitzer, Kroenke, Williams, and Löwe (2006) and is in the public domain.
Take the GAD-7
Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by the following problems?
0 of 7 answered
Your answers are processed in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent to anyone — including Tovani — until you choose to.
Frequently asked
Is this a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder?
No. The GAD-7 is a screening tool — it measures anxiety symptom severity but can't make a diagnosis. A clinician makes diagnoses based on a full clinical assessment that includes history, duration, functional impact, and ruling out other causes.
I scored high but it's mostly about one stressful situation. Does that count?
The GAD-7 measures symptom severity over the past 2 weeks regardless of cause. A score in the moderate or severe range tells you the symptoms are clinically meaningful even if you can attribute them to a specific stressor. Whether the appropriate response is therapy, medication, removing the stressor, or some combination is a clinical conversation.
My anxiety is more about panic attacks. Should I use a different screen?
The GAD-7 is validated for generalized anxiety but also picks up other anxiety presentations. If your primary symptoms are panic attacks specifically, mention this to your clinician — there are panic-specific screens and treatment considerations. The GAD-7 result is still useful as a baseline.
I take a benzodiazepine. Will it skew my score?
Possibly — if your current dose is well-controlling your anxiety, your GAD-7 score should be lower than it would be off medication. The score reflects symptoms over the past 2 weeks with whatever treatment you're on. Tell your clinician what you're currently taking so they can interpret the score correctly.
What if SSRIs haven't worked for my anxiety?
For treatment-resistant anxiety — typically defined as inadequate response to two or more adequate SSRI/SNRI trials — options include switching to a different class (buspirone, gabapentin off-label), augmentation strategies, CBT specifically targeted at anxiety, or mechanism-switch options like ketamine. Ketamine's glutamate/NMDA mechanism is fundamentally different from serotonin-focused antidepressants.
References
- Murrough JW et al. 2013, American Journal of Psychiatry. Ketamine RCT in treatment-resistant depression with comorbid anxiety — 64% response vs 28% placebo, with anxiety symptom improvements documented as part of response. PMID 23982301
- Sanacora G et al. 2017, JAMA Psychiatry. APA consensus statement supports ketamine's rapid effects across anxiety-spectrum presentations beyond pure depression. PMID 28249076