Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7)
The GAD-7 asks how often seven anxiety symptoms occurred during the past two weeks and places the total in published symptom ranges. It is a screening questionnaire, not a diagnosis.
Evidence passport
Instrument and scoring
- Scientific name
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7)
- NuraCheck implementation version
- 1.0.0
- Scoring method
- Published sum score
- Score shown
- Overall score and dimensions
- Primary reference
- Spitzer RL, Kroenke K, Williams JBW, Löwe B. A Brief Measure for Assessing Generalized Anxiety Disorder: The GAD-7. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2006;166(10):1092–1097. Open publication
- Published scoring source
- No separate source is recorded for this field.
- Exact form or administration source
- No separate source is recorded for this field.
Who and where the evidence may apply
Evidence comes from particular studies and language versions, so its relevance can vary.
- Intended audience
- Adults reflecting on anxiety symptoms during the past two weeks.
- Language version shown
- English (en) · Base wording used by this NuraCheck implementation
- Study participants and settings
- The cited validation enrolled 2,740 adults from 15 US primary-care clinics; 965 also received an independent telephone assessment by a mental-health professional. This is US primary-care evidence rather than a representative community sample.
Review the study used for these details
Scores do not capture culture, minority stress, disability or barriers to support. These factors can shape responses.
The evidence cannot determine whether a questionnaire fits you personally. NuraCheck does not ask for or infer identity to decide this.
Language provenance
- Language version shown
- English (en) · Base wording used by this NuraCheck implementation
- Wording scope
- Full instrument
- Independent language review
- Not recorded separately for the base wording
Base-wording source recorded by NuraCheck
Language provenance and independent validation are different. NuraCheck does not infer a reviewer or review date when the evidence record does not name one.
Licence and permitted use
- Licence status
- Permission granted
- Rights holder or steward
- Robert L. Spitzer, Kurt Kroenke, Janet B.W. Williams, Bernd Löwe, and colleagues
- Permission record checked
- Jul 14, 2026
- Electronic use
- Allowed by the reviewed permission record
- Translation
- Allowed by the reviewed permission record
GAD-7 © Pfizer Inc.; developed by Robert L. Spitzer, Kurt Kroenke, Janet B.W. Williams, Bernd Löwe, and colleagues.
What this questionnaire cannot answer
The score does not explain the cause of these experiences. Other conditions, circumstances and physical health factors can produce similar symptoms.
Compare nearby questionnaire options
These questionnaires overlap, but they answer different reflection questions. Choose one based on scope and time; you do not need to complete all of them.
GAD-7 gives the fuller anxiety-focused reflection. PHQ-4 is shorter and combines mood and anxiety; PHQ-9 is mood-focused.
Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4)
- What it covers
- A very brief check-in about low mood, loss of interest, worry and tension over the past two weeks.
- Time
- 1 min · 4 questions
- What this cannot tell you
- With four questions, the PHQ-4 offers less detail than the PHQ-9 or GAD-7. Similar symptoms can have many causes.
Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)
- What it covers
- Reflect on low mood, loss of interest, sleep, energy and related experiences over the past two weeks.
- Time
- 3 min · 9 questions
- What this cannot tell you
- The score does not capture context, duration, daily impact, physical health or other explanations. Any response above zero to item 9 deserves prompt attention.
What your result can show
It may help structure a conversation about your experiences.
Important limitations
The score does not explain the cause of these experiences. Other conditions, circumstances and physical health factors can produce similar symptoms.