Which statement about the GAD-7 is true?

Which statement about the GAD-7 is true?

• A. It is a long-form diagnostic interview conducted by a clinician.
• B. It measures general anxiety severity over the past year.
• C. It assesses symptom severity over the past two weeks including worry frequency and somatic symptoms.
• D. It requires clinical diagnosis before administration.

Answer: (C)

The GAD-7 is a brief, self-report screening tool that measures how severe anxiety symptoms have been over the last two weeks. It focuses on core worry-related experiences and related physical signs, like restlessness or trouble relaxing, to generate a total severity score. Because it’s designed for quick screening and monitoring, it doesn’t require a prior clinical diagnosis to be used, and it isn’t a long-form diagnostic interview conducted by a clinician. Its purpose is to gauge current symptom burden and track change over time, not to diagnose GAD on its own.

The GAD-7 is a brief, self-report screening tool that measures how severe anxiety symptoms have been over the last two weeks. It focuses on core worry-related experiences and related physical signs, like restlessness or trouble relaxing, to generate a total severity score. Because it’s designed for quick screening and monitoring, it doesn’t require a prior clinical diagnosis to be used, and it isn’t a long-form diagnostic interview conducted by a clinician. Its purpose is to gauge current symptom burden and track change over time, not to diagnose GAD on its own.