What Is GAD-7?
The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) is a brief, evidence-based screening and outcome measure used to assess the severity of anxiety symptoms.
Developed by Drs. Robert Spitzer, Kurt Kroenke, Janet Williams, and Bernd Löwe, GAD-7 is widely used across mental health, primary care, and integrated settings. Its simplicity and strong psychometric properties make it ideal for routine outcome monitoring in therapy.
For clinicians, GAD-7 offers a reliable way to track anxiety over time and adjust treatment proactively when clients are struggling.
What GAD-7 Measures?
GAD-7 consists of 7 items that assess how frequently a client has been bothered by common anxiety symptoms over the past two weeks, including:
- Excessive worry
- Difficulty controlling worry
- Restlessness or feeling on edge
- Fatigue
- Trouble concentrating
- Irritability
- Sleep disturbances
Although originally designed to screen for generalized anxiety disorder, the GAD-7 is also sensitive to panic disorder, social anxiety, and PTSD, making it useful across a broad range of anxiety presentations.
Each item is scored on a 0–3 scale:
- 0 – Not at all
- 1 – Several days
- 2 – More than half the days
- 3 – Nearly every day
Total Score Range
- Minimum score: 0
- Maximum score: 21
Interpreting GAD-7 Scores
| Score Range | Anxiety Severity |
|---|---|
| 0-4 | Minimal |
| 5-9 | Mid |
| 10-14 | Moderate |
| 15-21 | Severe |
A score of 10 or higher is commonly used as a clinical cutoff indicating clinically significant anxiety and the need for further assessment or intervention.
Why GAD-7 Is Clinically Valuable
Anxiety often goes under-reported or masked by other concerns. The GAD-7 helps surface symptoms that may not emerge in conversation alone.
Regular administration allows therapists to:
- Monitor response to interventions
- Identify plateaus or symptom worsening
- Adjust treatment strategies early
Sharing GAD-7 results with clients encourages reflection and engagement:
- “Does this score match your experience?”
- “What feels different since last session?”
GAD-7 is a core tool in Measurement-Based Care (MBC), providing structured data that complements clinical judgment rather than replacing it.
Therapists commonly use GAD-7:
- At intake to establish a baseline
- Periodically during treatment to track progress
- Alongside other measures (e.g., PHQ-9, OASIS, ORS)
- To support referrals or coordinated care
Its brevity makes it easy to integrate without disrupting session flow.
MyOutcomes® makes it simple to use the GAD-7 consistently and meaningfully.
With MyOutcomes, therapists can:
- Assign GAD-7 digitally before sessions
- Automatically score and interpret results
- Track trends across time in visual dashboards
- Generate clear, shareable reports
- Use data to guide clinical conversations
All within a secure, HIPAA-compliant environment designed specifically for mental health care.
GAD-7 is suitable for:
- Adults and older adolescents
- Clients presenting with anxiety or stress-related concerns
- Individual, group, or integrated care settings
- Short-term and long-term therapy
It is effective for both screening and ongoing outcome monitoring.
- Adults and older adolescents
- Brief and easy to administer
- Strong validity and reliability
- Sensitive to change over time
- Widely recognized and accepted
- Ideal for routine use in therapy
GAD-7 provides therapists with a clear, consistent lens into how anxiety is impacting their clients — beyond what can be captured through conversation alone.
When used as part of a structured feedback system like MyOutcomes®, it becomes a powerful tool for enhancing collaboration, improving outcomes, and supporting informed clinical decisions.
Spitzer RL, Kroenke K, Williams JB, Löwe B. (2006). A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: GAD-7. Archives of Internal Medicine, 166, 1092–1097.
Plummer F, Manea L, Trepel D, McMillan D. (2016). Screening for anxiety disorders with the GAD-7 and GAD-2. General Hospital Psychiatry, 39, 24–31.
Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JB, Monahan PO, Löwe B. (2007). Anxiety disorders in primary care. Annals of Internal Medicine, 146, 317–325.
