The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) is a concise and scientific self-evaluation scale that is widely used in the screening and severity assessment of anxiety disorders. Whether you want to know what 'What is GAD-7? ' or want to judge whether you have anxiety through the GAD-7 anxiety scale , this test can provide you with a reference.
What is GAD-7?
GAD-7 is a self-evaluation scale for screening for generalized anxiety disorders (GAD) and was compiled by Spitzer et al. in 2006. GAD-7 is concise and efficient, suitable for clinical and research, and can also be used for daily mental health self-tests.
GAD is the abbreviation of 'Generalized Anxiety Disorder', namely generalized anxiety disorder. Its typical manifestations include persistence, excessive worry, anxiety, irritability, and difficulty in relaxation.
GAD-7 can not only assess the severity of anxiety symptoms, but also assist in screening for panic disorders, social phobia and post-traumatic stress disorder. Many domestic studies have also verified its reliability and effectiveness, making the GAD-7 anxiety scale a common tool for clinical and online psychological testing.
With GAD-7, you can have a preliminary understanding of whether you meet the diagnostic criteria for anxiety disorders , or want to know reference information about questions such as ' How to judge whether you have anxiety disorders? ' and ' Can anxiety disorder heal itself? ' At the same time, GAD-7 can also help distinguish the differences in symptoms between depression and anxiety, that is, help you understand ' What is the difference between depression and anxiety? '.
Instructions for use of GAD-7 Anxiety Scale
There are 7 entries in GAD-7, designed around tension and anxiety, uncontrollable worries, excessive worries, difficulty in relaxation, inability to sit still, irritability and ominous premonition. Please select each item based on the frequency of the symptoms in the past two weeks.
Fill in instructions:
- Please select the corresponding options based on the actual situation in the past two weeks.
- Each question is 0-3 points, and the total score is 0-21 points.
- The scale can be completed independently or can be filled in by the inspector's guidance.
After filling in, the system will automatically score based on the total score to help you judge the degree of anxiety.
Interpretation of GAD-7 scoring criteria and results
The total score of GAD-7 reflects the degree of anxiety. The total score of GAD-7 is 0~21 points. The corresponding degree of anxiety for different scores is as follows:
| Total score range | Anxiety explanation |
|---|---|
| 0 - 4 | No obvious anxiety symptoms, which falls within the normal range |
| 5 - 9 | Mild anxiety may have some impact on life |
| 10 - 14 | Moderate anxiety has a significant impact on life and social activities. It is recommended to pay attention to it. |
| 15 - 21 | Severe anxiety, which seriously affects daily life, it is recommended to seek professional help |
Generally, 10 points are used as the tangent point to determine positive, that is, the total score ≥10 means that there may be anxiety.
In addition, the GAD-7 anxiety scale can also assist in screening for panic disorders, social phobia and post-traumatic stress disorder, providing you with more reference for mental health.
Things to note when using the GAD-7 Anxiety Scale
- For preliminary screening only : GAD-7 is only a self-evaluation tool and cannot replace the diagnosis of professional doctors. Positive results should be further medical treatment.
- Correct understanding of the scale : The purpose should be clearly explained before the test to ensure that the subject is completed independently.
- Check the completeness of filling : Make sure there are no omissions or repeated fillings.
- Reusable : It is recommended to be at least 2 weeks apart each time to monitor changes in symptoms.
FAQs on GAD-7 Anxiety Scale
Q1: How to judge whether you have anxiety disorder? The severity of symptoms can be evaluated through the GAD-7 online test, and based on the impact of daily life, whether professional diagnosis is required.
Q2: How many types of anxiety disorders are there? Common anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social phobia, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Q3: What is the difference between GAD-7 and Depression Scale? GAD-7 focuses on evaluating anxiety symptoms, while the Depression Scale (such as PHQ-9) is used to assess depressive mood, and the two can be used in combination to understand psychological states.
Q4: Can anxiety disorder heal itself? Mild anxiety can be relieved by self-regulation, but moderate to severe anxiety is recommended to seek professional psychological intervention or treatment.
Q5: What does GAD mean? GAD is the 'Generalized Anxiety Disorder'.
GAD-7 online testing portal
On the PsycTest Quiz platform, you can perform a free self-test of the GAD-7 anxiety scale . Through online testing, you can quickly understand your anxiety levels while obtaining targeted mental health advice.
Click the 'Start Test' button below to enter the test. Each test takes only a few minutes to get a personal anxiety status score, which is convenient for monitoring mental health changes.
Important tip : Please select each item based on the frequency of the symptoms in the past two weeks. A total score of ≥10 is usually considered a positive result, which means there is a certain risk of anxiety.
