Your GAD-7 score falls into one of four severity categories: minimal (0–4), mild (5–9), moderate (10–14), or severe (15–21). A score of 10 or above is the standard threshold for identifying clinically significant anxiety that warrants further evaluation and potential treatment.

Scores in the mild range (5–9) may still be clinically relevant depending on functional impairment — a patient scoring 8 who is unable to work or maintain relationships may need intervention sooner than a patient scoring 12 with preserved function. The score is best used as one data point alongside clinical assessment of how anxiety affects daily life.

The GAD-7 is appropriate for initial anxiety screening in primary care, mental health, and research settings. It is recommended as a first-line screening tool by multiple clinical guidelines and is frequently paired with the PHQ-9 to simultaneously screen for both anxiety and depression, which commonly co-occur.

It is also useful for monitoring treatment response — repeating the GAD-7 at regular intervals (every 2–4 weeks) after initiating therapy (pharmacological or psychotherapeutic) provides an objective measure of symptom change. A decrease of 5 or more points is generally considered clinically meaningful improvement.

The GAD-7 was developed and validated primarily for generalized anxiety disorder. While it has reasonable sensitivity for other anxiety disorders (panic disorder, social anxiety, PTSD), it may miss cases or underestimate severity for these conditions. Disorder-specific scales (e.g., PCL-5 for PTSD, SPIN for social anxiety) are more appropriate when a specific diagnosis is suspected.

Like all self-report instruments, the GAD-7 is subject to recall bias, response bias, and cultural differences in how anxiety is expressed and reported. Somatic presentations of anxiety (e.g., chest tightness, gastrointestinal symptoms) may not be fully captured by the questionnaire items.

The GAD-7 does not distinguish between anxiety disorders and anxiety symptoms caused by medical conditions (hyperthyroidism, stimulant use, withdrawal states) or other psychiatric conditions. A clinical interview is needed for accurate diagnosis.