Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale

GAD-7 — 7 questions — ~2 min

A short, widely used questionnaire for anxiety. Fill it in together in session, or send it to a client to complete at home.

Before you start

Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by the following? Answer each question with how often it applied to you.

Answers stay on this device and aren't saved anywhere.

Send to a client

Your client fills it in at home, from a private link with your name and logo. Results are scored and saved to your account, so you can track them over time.

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About the GAD-7

The GAD-7 is a short self-report questionnaire for anxiety. It asks how often, over the last two weeks, a person has been bothered by seven common symptoms — from feeling on edge to not being able to stop worrying.

It was designed to screen for generalised anxiety disorder, but it also picks up other common anxiety problems, such as panic and social anxiety, reasonably well. It’s quick enough to use at intake and again at later sessions to see how things are changing.

Questions: 7
Time: 2–3 minutes
Covers: Last 2 weeks
Score range: 0–21

How it’s scored

Each question is answered from “Not at all” (0) to “Nearly every day” (3). Adding the seven answers gives a total from 0 to 21. A score of 10 or more is the usual cut-off for a fuller assessment.

The final question — how difficult these problems have made work, home life or relationships — isn’t part of the score, but it’s a useful picture of how much the anxiety is getting in the way.

GAD-7 score ranges
Score	Severity
0–4	Minimal anxiety
5–9	Mild anxiety
10–14	Moderate anxiety
15–21	Severe anxiety

Good to know

It’s a screening tool, not a diagnosis. A high score is a reason to look more closely, not a conclusion.
It doesn’t ask about risk. Use your usual risk assessment alongside it.
Scores can be raised by things other than an anxiety disorder, such as a recent stressful event, a physical health problem, or some medicines.
Repeating it over time — at each session or every few weeks — is often more useful than any single score.

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