The GAD-7 is best described as which of the following?

• A. An 21-item clinician-administered scale for anxiety.
• B. A 5-item measure for panic disorder.
• C. An 7-item self-report scale; scores of 10 or more indicate likely GAD, with higher scores indicating greater severity.
• D. A 10-item social anxiety assessment.

Answer: (C)

The main idea is that the GAD-7 is a brief, self-report screening tool specifically for generalized anxiety disorder that also measures how severe the symptoms are. It has seven items, with each item asking how often a person has been bothered by a symptom over the past two weeks. Each item is scored from 0 to 3, so the total ranges from 0 to 21. A commonly used cutoff is 10 or more, which suggests a likely case of GAD, with higher totals indicating greater severity. This makes it practical for quick screening and tracking changes over time in settings like primary care. It isn’t a 21-item clinician-administered scale, it isn’t designed for panic disorder, and it isn’t a 10-item social anxiety measure, which is why the description focusing on seven items, self-report format, and a 10-plus threshold best fits.