Anxiety Assessment GAD-7free self-assessment

GAD-77 itemsAbout 2 minutes

This questionnaire is for self-understanding and reference only and cannot be used to make a clinical diagnosis.

About this assessment

The GAD-7, or Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, was developed by the same research group as the PHQ-9. It was originally designed to screen for generalised anxiety disorder, and later research found that it also works well as a broader measure of anxiety severity. Anxiety does not always look like intense panic. Sometimes it is a mind that will not switch off, a body that stays tense, difficulty truly relaxing, or becoming more irritable than usual. When these experiences have been around for a while, we can stop noticing how constant they have become. This questionnaire gives you a moment to step back and look at the pattern more clearly.

What does it look at?

The questionnaire looks back over the past two weeks and asks about seven common anxiety experiences: feeling nervous or on edge, difficulty stopping worry, worrying about many different things, trouble relaxing, restlessness, irritability, and a sense that something bad may happen. The score reflects your overall recent level of anxiety. It does not judge whether your worries are reasonable or tell you where the anxiety comes from.

This assessment may suit you if...

You have been thinking and worrying a lot lately and find it difficult to stop even when you know more thinking is not helping.
You often feel physically tense, notice a racing heartbeat, or sleep poorly and wonder whether anxiety may be part of the picture.
You would like to organise your thoughts about how you have been before speaking with a counsellor.

Learn more

How long does it take?

About one to two minutes.

How accurate is the result?

Using a score of 10 as a reference threshold, research has reported sensitivity of about 89% and specificity of about 82% for generalised anxiety disorder. Screening is not the same as diagnosis. A higher score simply suggests that your current anxiety may be worth exploring further.

References

Spitzer, R. L., Kroenke, K., Williams, J. B. W., & Löwe, B. (2006). A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: The GAD-7. Archives of Internal Medicine, 166(10), 1092–1097.https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.166.10.1092
Löwe, B., Decker, O., Müller, S., Brähler, E., Schellberg, D., Herzog, W., & Herzberg, P. Y. (2008). Validation and standardization of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Screener (GAD-7) in the general population. Medical Care, 46(3), 266–274.
He, X. Y., Li, C. B., Qian, J., Cui, H. S., & Wu, W. Y. (2010). Reliability and validity of a generalized anxiety disorder scale in general hospital outpatients. Shanghai Archives of Psychiatry, 22(4), 200–203.
Hong Kong study
Lam, L. C. W., Wong, C. S. M., Wang, M. J., Chan, W. C., Chen, E. Y. H., Ng, R. M. K., Hung, S. F., Cheung, E. F. C., Sham, P. C., Chiu, H. F. K., Lam, M., Chang, W. C., Lee, E. H. M., Chiang, T. P., Lau, J. T. F., van Os, J., Lewis, G., & Bebbington, P. (2015). Prevalence, psychosocial correlates and service utilization of depressive and anxiety disorders in Hong Kong: The Hong Kong Mental Morbidity Survey (HKMMS). Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 50(9), 1379–1388.
Hong Kong study
Wong, W. S., & Fielding, R. (2011). Prevalence of insomnia among Chinese adults in Hong Kong: A population-based study. Journal of Sleep Research, 20(1), 117–126.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2869.2010.00822.x
Hong Kong study
Ni, M. Y., Yao, X. I., Leung, K. S. M., Yau, C., Leung, C. M. C., Lun, P., Flores, F. P., Chang, W. C., Cowling, B. J., & Leung, G. M. (2020). Depression and post-traumatic stress during major social unrest in Hong Kong: A 10-year prospective cohort study. The Lancet, 395(10220), 273–284.https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(19)33160-5
Hong Kong study
UBS (2015). Prices and earnings 2015: Do I earn enough for the life I want?. UBS Prices and Earnings report, 2015 edition.
Hofmann, S. G., Asnaani, A., Vonk, I. J. J., Sawyer, A. T., & Fang, A. (2012). The efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy: A review of meta-analyses. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 36(5), 427–440.
Borkovec, T. D., Wilkinson, L., Folensbee, R., & Lerman, C. (1983). Stimulus control applications to the treatment of worry. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 21(3), 247–251.
Newman, M. G., & Llera, S. J. (2011). A novel theory of experiential avoidance in generalized anxiety disorder: A review and synthesis of research supporting a contrast avoidance model of worry. Clinical Psychology Review, 31(3), 371–382.
Dugas, M. J., Gagnon, F., Ladouceur, R., & Freeston, M. H. (1998). Generalized anxiety disorder: A preliminary test of a conceptual model. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 36(2), 215–226.
Manzoni, G. M., Pagnini, F., Castelnuovo, G., & Molinari, E. (2008). Relaxation training for anxiety: A ten-years systematic review with meta-analysis. BMC Psychiatry, 8, 41.
Stubbs, B., Vancampfort, D., Rosenbaum, S., Firth, J., Cosco, T., Veronese, N., Salum, G. A., & Schuch, F. B. (2017). An examination of the anxiolytic effects of exercise for people with anxiety and stress-related disorders: A meta-analysis. Psychiatry Research, 249, 102–108.
Kahn, M., Sheppes, G., & Sadeh, A. (2013). Sleep and emotions: Bidirectional links and underlying mechanisms. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 89(2), 218–228.
Mathews, A., & MacLeod, C. (2005). Cognitive vulnerability to emotional disorders. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 1, 167–195.

A quick tip

There are no right or wrong answers. Choose the response that best reflects how you genuinely feel.