GAD-7 Calculator - Score and Severity Band

The GAD-7 calculator totals the seven items from the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale, the brief self-report screen used since 2006 to flag possible generalized anxiety disorder. Each item asks how often the respondent was bothered by an anxiety symptom over the past two weeks, the seven responses are summed into a 0 to 21 total, and the total is read against four severity bands from the Spitzer 2006 validation paper.

• • Self check before a primary care visit: complete the seven items at home so the appointment starts with a shared number.
• • Brief annual mental-health screen: primary care and workplace wellness programs often include the GAD-7 alongside blood pressure and weight checks.
• • Re-screening after starting treatment: repeat the GAD-7 a few weeks into therapy or a medication change to see if the total has moved.
• • Tracking symptoms between therapy sessions: use the same 0 to 3 wording each time so the diary stays comparable.

The calculator is a screen, not a diagnosis. A positive screen (a total of 10 or more) should be paired with a clinical evaluation. Mild or minimal bands should be re-checked if symptoms persist.

For a parallel brief primary-care screen that follows the same sum-the-items pattern, the Audit C Calculator totals the three WHO alcohol consumption questions with a sex-specific cutoff.

The GAD-7 calculator works in three steps. It sums the seven 0 to 3 item responses into a 0 to 21 total, maps the total to a severity band, and flags a positive screen at the Spitzer 2006 cut point of 10.

• q1 to q7: the seven past-2-week anxiety items, scored 0 to 3 each
• gad7Total: integer sum of the seven items, ranging from 0 to 21
• severityBand: Minimal 0-4, Mild 5-9, Moderate 10-14, or Severe 15-21
• positiveScreen: Yes when total is at or above 10, the Spitzer 2006 cut point

The calculator shows the total, the severity band, a positive-screen flag, the seven per-item scores, and the sensitivity and specificity of the 10-point cut point.

According to the World Health Organization, Anxiety Disorders Fact Sheet, an estimated 359 million people worldwide were living with an anxiety disorder in 2021, making anxiety disorders the most common of all mental disorders globally, with only about 1 in 4 affected people receiving treatment.

According to the Spitzer et al. 2006, Archives of Internal Medicine, the GAD-7 is a seven-item anxiety scale scored 0 to 3 per item for a 0 to 21 total, and a cut point of 10 or higher optimized sensitivity at 89% and specificity at 82% for identifying probable cases of generalized anxiety disorder in a 2,740-patient validation across 15 U.S. primary care clinics.

For a closely related mental-health screen that follows the same sum-the-items pattern but for daytime sleepiness, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale Calculator totals eight 0 to 3 items against a different severity scale.

Four concepts matter for reading the GAD-7 calculator the way Spitzer et al. 2006 and the DSM-5 intend.

The single most important distinction is screening versus diagnosis. A positive GAD-7 screen does not meet DSM-5 criteria for generalized anxiety disorder.

Because GAD-7 item Q4 (trouble relaxing) and Q5 (restlessness) often overlap with poor sleep, the Sleep Debt Calculator gives a separate weekly shortfall that can help explain a high GAD-7 total.

The form is seven past-2-week items plus a single click. Each item should be answered for the last 14 days, not for an unusually stressful or calm week that is not typical.

1. 1 Set the recall window to the last 2 weeks: answer each item for the past 14 days, not for today or the past year, so the total matches the validation study's recall period.
2. 2 Pick the Q1 response: select how often you felt nervous, anxious, or on edge, from 0 to 3.
3. 3 Pick the Q2 to Q4 responses: select the past-2-week frequency for not being able to stop worrying, worrying too much, and trouble relaxing.
4. 4 Pick the Q5 to Q7 responses: select the past-2-week frequency for restlessness, irritability, and feeling afraid.
5. 5 Read the total, band, and flag together: treat the total and the band label as a set, then look at the per-item scores to see which symptom is driving the result.
6. 6 Plan the next step: use the suggested next step as a starting point, and plan a re-test in 2 to 4 weeks if the band is mild or moderate.

A reader who felt nervous and restless on more than half the days in the past two weeks, and annoyed and afraid a few days, would answer Q1=2, Q2=2, Q3=2, Q4=2, Q5=2, Q6=1, Q7=1 for a total of 12.

When a GAD-7 follow-up is paired with a sleep check, the Sleep Cycle Calculator estimates a bedtime or wake time from a target cycle count so the two screens sit on the same day.

Using the GAD-7 calculator the way the 2006 validation study designed it gives several practical benefits over a single yes-or-no question.

• • Seven-item brevity: the GAD-7 fits in a 2- to 3-minute screen, short enough for a routine primary-care visit.
• • Validated 0 to 21 total: the same wording and 0 to 3 scale have been used in primary care, research, and translated screens for nearly twenty years.
• • Severity band readout: the calculator reads the total against the four bands from the validation study.
• • Positive-screen flag at the cut point: the calculator applies the 10-point cut point from the 2006 study and reports 89% sensitivity and 82% specificity for context.
• • Per-item score readout: seeing Q1 to Q7 side by side shows which symptom is driving the total.
• • Re-screening friendly: the same wording and scoring can be used 2 to 4 weeks later to compare against a baseline.

The per-item scores also make it easier to choose which symptom to discuss first in a clinical visit. A reader whose total is driven by Q2 (control worry) and Q3 (worry too much) is in a different clinical situation than a reader whose total is driven by Q5 (restlessness) and Q4 (trouble relaxing), even if the totals match.

When the same clinic visit also includes a fuller alcohol screen, the Audit Test Calculator totals the ten AUDIT questions against the WHO risk bands for a side-by-side read.

The result depends on the seven answers entered and the cut point applied. Small changes can flip the band, especially near the cut points.

• • This is a brief screen, not a clinical assessment. A positive screen does not diagnose generalized anxiety disorder.
• • The 0 to 3 per-item scale has no half-points, so the total is an integer, not a continuous score.
• • Self-reported past-2-week anxiety drifts with how the respondent is feeling on the day of the screen, and a re-test 2 to 4 weeks later is a useful check.

The band label is read against the Spitzer 2006 cut points, and a mild band can be re-tested in 2 to 4 weeks to see if the total has moved.

According to the American Psychiatric Association, DSM-5, generalized anxiety disorder requires excessive anxiety and worry more days than not for at least six months, difficulty controlling the worry, and three or more associated symptoms such as restlessness, irritability, fatigue, sleep disturbance, or muscle tension.

For a parent or clinician who wants a same-day check of a teen's sleep alongside a GAD-7 re-test, the Pediatric Epworth Sleepiness Scale Calculator uses the same 0 to 3 per-item wording adapted for school-age children.