Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7

Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 item
SynonymsGAD-7
LOINC69737-5

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).[1] 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." Developed by Dr. Robert L. Spitzer and colleagues,[1] the GAD-7 is commonly used in both clinical settings and research to identify GAD and to monitor treatment outcomes. 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.[2] 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.[3]

  1. ^ a b Spitzer RL, Kroenke K, Williams JB, Löwe B (May 2006). "A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: the GAD-7". Archives of Internal Medicine. 166 (10): 1092–1097. doi:10.1001/archinte.166.10.1092. PMID 16717171.
  2. ^ Löwe B, Decker O, Müller S, Brähler E, Schellberg D, Herzog W, et al. (March 2008). "Validation and standardization of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Screener (GAD-7) in the general population". Medical Care. 46 (3): 266–274. doi:10.1097/mlr.0b013e318160d093. PMID 18388841. S2CID 16052239.
  3. ^ Herr NR, Williams JW, Benjamin S, McDuffie J (July 2014). "Does this patient have generalized anxiety or panic disorder?: The Rational Clinical Examination systematic review". JAMA. 312 (1): 78–84. doi:10.1001/jama.2014.5950. PMID 25058220.