The GAD-7 scale was accurate for diagnosing generalised anxiety disorder

METHODS

Design:

blinded comparison of the GAD-7 scale with GAD criteria from the DSM-IV .

Setting:

13 family practices and 2 internal medicine clinics in the US.

Patients:

a random sample of 965 out of 2739 patients 18-95 years of age (mean age 47 y, 65% women, 80% white) who completed a study questionnaire including the GAD-7 scale were evaluated with the diagnostic standard.

Description of test:

the GAD-7 scale: patients rate answers (0 = not at all, 1 = several days, 2 = more than half the days, 3 = nearly every day) to 7 anxiety related questions; how often in the past 2 weeks they felt (1) nervous, anxious, or on edge; (2) easily annoyed or irritable; (3) afraid as if something awful...