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What is the GAD-7 — and how do we use it to track anxiety?

The GAD-7 helps screen for anxiety and track patterns. Here’s how to interpret your score and what we do with it in care.

Updated over 3 months ago

Anxiety doesn’t always show up as worry.

Sometimes it’s chest tension. Sometimes it’s irritability, stomach upset, trouble sleeping, or restlessness.

The GAD-7 is a simple screening tool that helps us name what you're feeling — and track how it changes over time.


🧠 What the GAD-7 measures:

It includes 7 questions based on symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder.
Each one is rated from:

  • 0 = Not at all

  • 1 = Several days

  • 2 = More than half the days

  • 3 = Nearly every day

Scores range from 0 to 21.


🧾 Score breakdown:

Total Score

Meaning

What it might suggest

0–4

Minimal anxiety

Monitor — no active concern

5–9

Mild symptoms

Watch for patterns; explore nervous system support

10–14

Moderate symptoms

Consider therapy, tools, and root-cause screening

15–21

Severe

Recommend a full care plan: therapy + med review


🩺 How we use your score:

The GAD-7 isn’t about diagnosing you — it’s about understanding what’s taking up bandwidth.

We compare scores over time to:

  • See if your symptoms respond to therapy, meds, or lifestyle changes

  • Flag when something deeper (like trauma, sleep apnea, or hormone shifts) might be driving it

  • Separate anxiety from conditions that mimic it — like thyroid issues or blood sugar crashes


🧠 If your score is high:

We help you explore:

  • Therapy options (trauma-aware, CBT, somatic, or supportive)

  • Nervous system regulation (movement, breathwork, HRV training, journaling)

  • Sleep, stimulant use, and circadian repair

  • Targeted medications if helpful (short or long term)

  • Labs: thyroid, cortisol, B12, iron, inflammatory markers, blood sugar

  • Safe, effective supplements: magnesium, L-theanine, inositol, omega-3s (when appropriate)


📈 If your score is improving:

We keep doing what’s working — and adjust if needed.
We look at what helped most: structure, therapy, meds, nutrition, boundaries?
And we continue moving toward sustainable regulation, not just symptom reduction.


💡 Remember:

Anxiety isn’t just “in your head.”
It’s real, physical, valid — and manageable.

The GAD-7 helps us track your story. But the score isn’t who you are.
It’s one tool in a bigger process of getting you to feel safer, clearer, and more grounded in your body and mind.

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