Anxiety self-check (GAD-7)
Answer seven questions about how often worry, tension and similar problems have bothered you over the past two weeks, and see the level of anxiety symptoms on a 0–21 scale. The GAD-7 is a screening tool widely used in clinics and research, not a diagnosis. Your answers are never sent to a server; they stay in your browser.
About 2 min · 7 questions · A screening, not a diagnosis · Results stay in your browser
You don’t have to carry this alone
If you ever have thoughts of hurting yourself, or things feel like too much, you can reach out at any time.
- US & Canada: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline 988 Call or text, 24/7
- UK & Ireland: Samaritans 116 123 Free, 24/7
Other countries: find a helpline at findahelpline.com
If you are in immediate danger, contact your local emergency services.
Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by the following problems?
Feeling nervous, anxious or on edge
About the GAD-7 anxiety self-check
What is the GAD-7?
The GAD-7 (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7) is a short, seven-item questionnaire about anxiety symptoms such as worry and tension. It was developed by the same team as the PHQ-9 (Spitzer et al., 2006) and asks about excessive worry, trouble stopping worry, tension, restlessness, irritability and fear.
It was built to screen for generalized anxiety disorder, and it has also been reported to work reasonably well for other anxiety problems such as panic disorder, social anxiety and post-traumatic stress (Kroenke et al., 2007). It is a screening tool, not a diagnostic test.
How to answer
Think back over the past two weeks and pick how often each problem has bothered you. Your first instinct is usually the most accurate. There are no right or good answers. Your answers are not sent to a server; they stay in this browser.
Reading the score
- 0–4Minimal anxiety symptoms
- 5–9Mild anxiety symptoms
- 10–14Moderate anxiety symptoms
- 15–21Severe anxiety symptoms
In the original study, a cut-off of 10 picked up 89% of people with generalized anxiety disorder and correctly ruled out 82% of people without it (Spitzer et al., 2006). It is a useful threshold, but a score alone is never a diagnosis.
Limits of this check
- It is not a diagnosis. Anxiety disorders are diagnosed by a professional who looks at the whole picture in a conversation with you.
- It only covers the past two weeks. A stretch packed with stressful events, such as exams, a new job or a move, can raise the score for a while.
- Physical causes such as an overactive thyroid, caffeine or some medicines can cause similar symptoms like a racing heart or restlessness.
- If you are struggling, that matters more than a low score. You can ask for help whatever your score.
The PHQ-9 and GAD-7 were developed by Drs. Robert L. Spitzer, Janet B.W. Williams, Kurt Kroenke and colleagues, with an educational grant from Pfizer Inc. No permission is required to reproduce, translate, display or distribute them.
How to read your results
How It Works
Each of the seven items asks how often you were bothered over the last two weeks, from “Not at all” (0) through “Several days” (1) and “More than half the days” (2) to “Nearly every day” (3). Added together, the seven answers give a total from 0 to 21, read in four bands: 0–4, 5–9, 10–14 and 15–21.
Score Interpretation
The total adds up how often anxiety symptoms came up over the past two weeks. A higher score means they were more frequent, but it does not tell you where the anxiety comes from: exams, work, health worries or relationships.
A score of 10 is widely used as the point where a professional assessment is recommended, and mind.io suggests talking to a professional from 10 up. Below 10, it is still worth reaching out if anxiety has you avoiding more things or everyday life has become hard to manage.
A high score does not mean you have generalized anxiety disorder. Panic, social anxiety, post-traumatic stress and other anxiety problems can raise it too, so working out what kind of anxiety it is takes a conversation with a professional.
Anxiety and depression often come together. If your mood has been low or you have lost interest in things, the PHQ-9 looks at that side. When you retake the GAD-7, look at the overall trend rather than one or two points; one study treated a change of about four points as meaningful (Toussaint et al., 2020).
After your result
0–4: there are few or no anxiety symptoms right now. Keep up what helps you unwind, such as sleep, rest and time moving your body, and check in again during a stretch when stressful things pile up.
5–9: there are some mild symptoms. Check in again in about two weeks to see how things move. Small steps help: slow, longer out-breaths, a set time to write worries down, less caffeine, regular exercise. If symptoms continue or grow, talk to a professional.
10–14: this is the range where a professional assessment is recommended. Book a conversation with your doctor, a mental health professional or a local mental health service, whichever feels easiest. Anxiety often improves with talking therapies and treatment.
15 or more: anxiety may be weighing heavily on daily life. Please see a professional soon. If booking an appointment feels like too much, it is fine to ask someone close to help you do it.
Limits
Being a worrier is not the same as having an anxiety disorder. The GAD-7 only asks how often over the past two weeks, so it cannot capture whether worry has gone on for months or what you have started to avoid.
Some anxiety problems, such as obsessive-compulsive symptoms or fears of specific things, are not well covered by its questions. If anxiety is strong in particular situations even with a low score, tell a professional about that experience.
When to seek help
If anxiety becomes so overwhelming that you have thoughts of hurting yourself, do not carry it alone, whatever your score: reach out now. The lines at the top of this page are there for you, and if you are in immediate danger, use the emergency number shown there.
If chest pain or difficulty breathing comes on suddenly, do not assume it is anxiety: get medical care right away or call emergency services. Ruling out a physical cause first is the safe choice.
Talk to a professional if anxiety lasts more than two weeks or keeps getting worse, if it gets in the way of work, study or relationships or has you avoiding more things, or if your total is 10 or more. If you are not sure where to start, your doctor is a good first contact.
Guides to read alongside
- Anxiety symptoms: worry, body signs, panic, and when anxiety becomes a disorderAnxiety symptoms from WHO criteria and research: hard-to-stop worry, palpitations and tension, panic attacks vs panic disorder, overlap with depression.
- GAD-7 accuracy: what an anxiety screening score can and can’t tell youHow accurate is the GAD-7? What research says about the cut-off of 10, why a high score is not a diagnosis, what a low score can miss, and why scores change.
- Average GAD-7 score: how adults in Korea and Germany score on the anxiety check-inIn Korea’s 2021 national survey sample, 4.5% scored 10 or more on the GAD-7; a German national sample averaged 2.18. What 10 means, and how to read your score.
Frequently asked questions
When might the GAD-7 check-in be useful?
It helps put a number on things when worry has been hard to switch off or you have felt on edge for close to two weeks. It has 7 questions, takes about 2 minutes and is free.
Can I take it right before an exam or a presentation?
You can, but keep in mind that tension runs high for anyone before a big event. Checking again once it has passed helps you tell short-lived nerves from anxiety that stays.
Does the GAD-7 pick up anxiety about a relationship?
The GAD-7 asks about worry and tension across your life rather than in one relationship. Anxiety that spikes when a partner replies late can be linked to attachment patterns, so the attachment style test and the anxious attachment guide may explain it better. If that worry spreads into the rest of your life, this check-in and talking to a professional can help.
Is my GAD-7 result saved? Can I share it?
The result stays only in My Results in this browser, and no share link can be made. Its result page sends nothing to Google Analytics either. If you want to show it to a counselor, showing the screen on your device is the simplest way.
My score is low but I still feel anxious. What should I do?
The GAD-7 mostly asks about everyday worry and tension, so fears tied to particular situations or symptoms that come on suddenly may show up less in the score. If daily life feels hard, whatever the number, consider talking with a doctor or counselor.