Mood
Anxiety check
7 questions · 2 min
This is a short, widely used check that doctors and nurses often use to see how much worry and anxiety have been affecting someone recently. It asks how often you’ve noticed common signs of anxiety, like feeling on edge or finding it hard to stop worrying, over the last two weeks.
It’s a starting point for understanding how you’re doing, not a diagnosis. Only a professional can tell whether what you’re experiencing is an anxiety condition.
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What it shows
How often signs of anxiety bothered you in the last two weeks.
What it doesn’t
A diagnosis. Only a professional can assess an anxiety disorder.
Who it’s for
This check is for you if worry has been taking up more of your days than you’d like, or you’ve been feeling tense, restless or on edge and want to put it into words. It can also help before seeing your GP, as a simple way to describe what’s been going on.
Because it looks at the last two weeks, it’s useful to come back to now and then. Retaking it after a stressful stretch, or once you’ve started trying something new to manage worry, can show whether things are shifting.
Questions people ask
What does the GAD-7 measure?
It measures how often common signs of anxiety, such as feeling on edge or finding it hard to stop worrying, have bothered you in the last two weeks. It looks at how often these things happen, not at what’s causing them.
How long does the GAD-7 take?
There are 7 questions, and most people finish in about 2 minutes.
How is the GAD-7 scored?
Each answer scores from 0 to 3, and the seven are added up to a total from 0 to 21. The usual ranges are 0–4 few signs, 5–9 mild, 10–14 moderate and 15–21 high, so a higher score means signs of anxiety have shown up more often.
Is the GAD-7 a diagnosis of anxiety?
No. It shows how often signs of anxiety have bothered you recently, not whether you have an anxiety disorder. Only a professional, such as your GP or a therapist, can assess that.
How often can I retake it?
Every two weeks or so works well, because the questions ask about the last two weeks. Comparing your results over time can show whether worry is easing or building.
What should I do if my score is high?
A higher score is a good reason to talk to a doctor or therapist. They can help you understand what’s behind the worry, and there’s a lot that helps. If that feels like a big step, telling someone you trust is a good place to start.
Where it comes from
Developed by doctors Robert Spitzer, Kurt Kroenke, Janet Williams and Bernd Löwe in 2006, and used in clinics around the world.
Generalised Anxiety Disorder questionnaire
On iPhone or iPad?
Sprout is an app there too, and this link opens the test straight away if you have it.
Coming soon to the App Store