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Anxiety

Seven questions, two minutes. GAD-7 is a short screening used by doctors and psychologists worldwide: how often anxiety has bothered you over the last two weeks.

Take the screening
  • 2 min
  • 7 questions
  • GAD-7 scale, 2006

Anxiety is a normal response to uncertainty: it helps you prepare and notice risks. It becomes a problem when it switches on too often, too strongly or for no reason, and starts getting in the way of life. The GAD-7 was created in 2006 to spot exactly that kind of anxiety quickly. It is not a diagnosis but a pointer: the result shows whether anxiety deserves attention, and how soon.

How to read the result

  1. 0-4Minimal anxietyAn ordinary background: anxiety hardly gets in the way.
  2. 5-9Mild anxietyNoticeable, but not running your life.
  3. 10-14Moderate anxietyThe point where talking to a professional is advised.
  4. 15-21Severe anxietyBest not to put off talking to a professional.

GAD-7, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (Spitzer, Kroenke, Williams, Löwe, 2006), developed with an educational grant from Pfizer Inc.; reproduction, translation and distribution are permitted. This is a screening, not a diagnosis: only a professional can diagnose, after talking with you. If you feel very bad right now or have thoughts of harming yourself, please call emergency services or a crisis line.