Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7

The Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7) is a widely used self-administered diagnostic tool designed to screen for and assess the severity of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Comprising seven items, the GAD-7 measures the frequency of anxiety symptoms over the past two weeks, with respondents rating each item on a scale from "not at all" to "nearly every day." The GAD-7 was developed in 2006 by Robert L. Spitzer, Janet B.W. Williams, Kurt Kroenke, and Bernd Löwe as a brief self-report questionnaire designed to assess symptoms associated with generalized anxiety disorder. It has been used in clinical and research settings for screening purposes and for monitoring symptom changes over time. It is valued for its simplicity, reliability, and validity in detecting anxiety symptoms in diverse populations.

The GAD-7 is normally used in outpatient and primary care settings for referral to a psychiatrist pending outcome. A systematic review compared screening tools and concluded that the GAD-7 is the most efficient one for identifying GAD as well as panic disorders in primary care populations.