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Generalized Anxiety Disorder 2-item (GAD-2)

ShareThe Generalized Anxiety Disorder 2-item (GAD-2) is a very brief and easy to perform initial screening tool for generalized anxiety disorder.1

Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by the following problems?

1. Feeling nervous, anxious or on edge

2. Not being able to stop or control worrying

GAD-2 score obtained by adding score for each question (total points)

Interpretation:


A score of 3 points is the preferred cut-off for identifying possible cases and in which further diagnostic evaluation for generalized anxiety disorder is warranted. Using a cut-off of 3 the GAD-2 has a sensitivity of 86% and specificity of 83% for diagnosis generalized anxiety disorder.

Performance as Screening Tool for Anxiety Disorders

Although designed as a screening tool for generalized anxiety, the GAD-2 is also performs reasonably well as a screening tool for three other common anxiety disorders—Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. 1

Performance of GAD-2 as Screening Tool for Anxiety Disorders3
(Using GAD-2 Score Cut-off of ≥3)
TestSensitivitySpecificityPositive Likelihood Ratio
Generalized Anxiety Disorder86%83%5.0
Panic Disorder76%81%4.1
Social Anxiety Disorder70%81%3.6
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder59%81%3.1
Any Anxiety Disorder65%88%5.2

Sources

  1. Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JB, Monahan PO, Löwe B. Anxiety disorders in primary care: prevalence, impairment, comorbidity, and detection. Ann Intern Med. 2007;146:317-25.

Acknowledgement

The GAD-2 was based on the GAD-7, which was developed by Drs. Robert L. Spitzer, Janet B.W. Williams, Kurt Kroenke and colleagues, with an educational grant from Pfizer Inc. No permission required to reproduce, translate, display or distribute.

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