Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7)

It is part of the PHQ family - same team (Spitzer, Kroenke, Williams, Lowe, 2006) behind the PHQ-9 for depression. They designed it as a quick screen for generalized anxiety disorder, and it takes about two minutes to complete.

The seven items cover the core symptoms: feeling nervous, not being able to stop worrying, trouble relaxing, restlessness, irritability, and that sense that something awful might happen. Each one is rated 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day), giving a total score from 0 to 21.

For a screening tool, the psychometrics are solid. Internal consistency runs .88-.93 depending on the sample, and test-retest reliability sits at .78-.91. The standard clinical cutoff is >=10, which catches about 89% of GAD cases with 82% specificity. Some studies suggest a cutoff of >=8 works better in certain populations, and for Chinese speakers the optimal cutoff drops to >=7.

Worth noting: GAD-7 is a screener, not a diagnostic test. A high score means it is worth talking to a professional. It pairs naturally with the PHQ-9 since anxiety and depression overlap frequently, and together they give a decent snapshot of common mental health concerns.

Score ranges:

• 0-4: Minimal anxiety (normal range)
• 5-9: Mild anxiety
• 10-14: Moderate anxiety
• 15-21: Severe anxiety

And one genuinely nice thing about GAD-7: it is public domain. No permissions needed, no licensing fees, no restrictions on translation or use.