What is a normal GAD-7 score?

Scores of 0 to 4 are in the minimal range. 5 to 9 is mild, 10 to 14 moderate and 15 to 21 severe, using the cut points in the official GAD-7 instruction manual.

What GAD-7 score means I should see someone?

A score of 10 or more is the recommended point for further evaluation, so it is a good reason to talk to your GP or a mental-health professional. You can also ask for help at any score if anxiety is affecting your daily life.

Does IBS cause anxiety?

They are strongly linked. In a meta-analysis of 73 studies, people with IBS had about three times the odds of anxiety symptoms of people without it, and the gut-brain connection runs in both directions, so each can make the other worse.

Is anxiety common with Crohn's or colitis?

Yes. A 2021 meta-analysis of over 30,000 people with IBD found about a third had anxiety symptoms, rising to over half during active disease. It is worth telling your IBD team, who can often refer you to a psychologist.

Can the GAD-7 diagnose anxiety?

No. It is a screening questionnaire that measures how much anxiety symptoms have bothered you in the last 2 weeks. A diagnosis needs a conversation with a clinician.

Is the GAD-7 free to use?

Yes. The official form states that no permission is required to reproduce, translate, display or distribute it.

Is my answer stored or emailed?

No email is needed to see your score; it appears straight away. You can choose to email yourself a copy, and your answers are not saved to a medical record.

IBS Anxiety Check: Free GAD-7 Questionnaire

The 7-question anxiety screener doctors use, with the gut-brain link explained.

Free
About 2 minutes
No account
Updated October 3, 2026

The short answer

The GAD-7 asks how often seven anxiety symptoms have bothered you over the last 2 weeks, scoring each from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day), for a total out of 21. Scores of 5, 10 and 15 mark mild, moderate and severe anxiety symptoms, and 10 or more is the usual point to talk to a GP or mental-health professional. Anxiety is common in IBS and IBD, and it is a screening result, not a diagnosis.

1. Feeling nervous, anxious or on edgeOver the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by the following problems?

2. Not being able to stop or control worrying

3. Worrying too much about different things

4. Trouble relaxing

5. Being so restless that it is hard to sit still

6. Becoming easily annoyed or irritable

7. Feeling afraid as if something awful might happen

How difficult have these problems made it for you to do your work, take care of things at home, or get along with other people?Part of the questionnaire, but not added to the score.

Do you have a gut condition?Not part of the GAD-7. It only changes which background is shown with your result.

How to use the IBS Anxiety Check (GAD-7)

1Think about the last 2 weeks, not just today.
2For each of the seven questions, pick how often it has bothered you, from not at all to nearly every day.
3Answer the question about how much these problems affect work, home and relationships. It is not scored but it matters.
4Get your score out of 21, what the band means, and when it is worth talking to someone.

The seven GAD-7 questions and how they are scored

The GAD-7 was published in 2006 by Spitzer, Kroenke, Williams and Lowe after testing in 2,740 adults across 15 US primary care clinics. It was built to spot generalised anxiety disorder, and it also performs moderately well for panic disorder, social anxiety and post-traumatic stress. It is free to use: the official form says no permission is required to reproduce, translate, display or distribute it.

Each question asks how often you have been bothered over the last 2 weeks. A final question about how difficult these problems have made daily life is not added to the score.

Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by	Points
Feeling nervous, anxious or on edge	0 to 3
Not being able to stop or control worrying	0 to 3
Worrying too much about different things	0 to 3
Trouble relaxing	0 to 3
Being so restless that it is hard to sit still	0 to 3
Becoming easily annoyed or irritable	0 to 3
Feeling afraid as if something awful might happen	0 to 3
Answers	Not at all 0, several days 1, more than half the days 2, nearly every day 3

What your GAD-7 score means

The official instruction manual sets 5, 10 and 15 as the cut points for mild, moderate and severe anxiety, and recommends 10 or more as the point for further evaluation. In the original study, a cut point of 10 picked up 89% of people with generalised anxiety disorder and correctly cleared 82% of those without it. Some clinicians use 8 to catch more people.

Score	Band	What it suggests
0 to 4	Minimal	Few anxiety symptoms in the last 2 weeks
5 to 9	Mild	Worth watching; mention it if it lasts or affects your life
10 to 14	Moderate	The usual point to talk to a GP or mental-health professional
15 to 21	Severe	Talk to a GP or mental-health professional soon

Why anxiety is so common with IBS and IBD

Gut and brain are wired to each other, and IBS is now classed as a disorder of gut-brain interaction. Anxiety can make gut symptoms louder, and unpredictable gut symptoms give anxiety plenty to work with. The stress and IBS post explains the mechanism.

The upside of that link is that gut-directed treatments work on both. UK guidelines recommend IBS-specific CBT and gut-directed hypnotherapy for IBS symptoms, and a Rome Foundation team report sets out five types of brain-gut behaviour therapy. When asking for a referral, ask for therapy that is specific to the gut. See does gut-directed hypnotherapy work for IBS.

Group	How common anxiety is	Source
IBS, anxiety symptoms	39.1%, about 3 times the odds of people without IBS	Zamani 2019, 73 studies
IBS, anxiety disorder	23%	Zamani 2019
IBD, anxiety symptoms	32.1%	Barberio 2021, 77 studies, 30,118 people
IBD, active disease	57.6%, compared with 38.1% when inactive	Barberio 2021
IBD, women vs men	33.8% vs 22.8%	Barberio 2021

What this check cannot do

It is a screening questionnaire, not a diagnosis. A high score says anxiety symptoms have been bothering you a lot; a clinician works out whether that is an anxiety disorder, which kind, or something else, such as the strain of a flare. A low score does not mean your worries are not real.

It does not ask about low mood or thoughts of self-harm. If you are having thoughts of harming yourself, please get help now. In the US and Canada, call or text 988. In the UK and Ireland, call Samaritans on 116 123. Elsewhere, findahelpline.com lists local services. If you are in immediate danger, use your local emergency number.

Frequently asked questions

What is a normal GAD-7 score?: Scores of 0 to 4 are in the minimal range. 5 to 9 is mild, 10 to 14 moderate and 15 to 21 severe, using the cut points in the official GAD-7 instruction manual.
What GAD-7 score means I should see someone?: A score of 10 or more is the recommended point for further evaluation, so it is a good reason to talk to your GP or a mental-health professional. You can also ask for help at any score if anxiety is affecting your daily life.
Does IBS cause anxiety?: They are strongly linked. In a meta-analysis of 73 studies, people with IBS had about three times the odds of anxiety symptoms of people without it, and the gut-brain connection runs in both directions, so each can make the other worse.
Is anxiety common with Crohn's or colitis?: Yes. A 2021 meta-analysis of over 30,000 people with IBD found about a third had anxiety symptoms, rising to over half during active disease. It is worth telling your IBD team, who can often refer you to a psychologist.
Can the GAD-7 diagnose anxiety?: No. It is a screening questionnaire that measures how much anxiety symptoms have bothered you in the last 2 weeks. A diagnosis needs a conversation with a clinician.
Can treating anxiety help my gut symptoms?: Gut-focused psychological treatments can. UK guidelines recommend IBS-specific CBT and gut-directed hypnotherapy for IBS symptoms, and both work on the gut-brain loop rather than on anxiety alone.
Is the GAD-7 free to use?: Yes. The official form states that no permission is required to reproduce, translate, display or distribute it.
Is my answer stored or emailed?: No email is needed to see your score; it appears straight away. You can choose to email yourself a copy, and your answers are not saved to a medical record.

Does Gut-Directed Hypnotherapy Work for IBS?
Gut-directed hypnotherapy helps a real minority of people with IBS. The trials, the response rates, and why the 70 to 80% figure everyone quotes is misread.
IBS and Health Anxiety: Breaking the Checking Loop
IBS symptoms overlap the cancer checklist, so health anxiety finds easy fuel. Why clear tests stop reassuring, what the cancer data says, and what helps.
Can Stress Cause an IBS Flare Up? And What Helps
Yes, and in IBS stress is not an outside trigger: it is part of the mechanism. What the research shows, and which stress treatments actually work.
IBS Anxiety About Leaving the House: How to Cope
Fear of leaving home with IBS is avoidance, and avoidance is the thing IBS therapy research targets first. What the evidence says, and how to widen your range.
Can Stress and Anxiety Cause a Crohn's Flare?
Stress reliably worsens Crohn's symptoms, but the evidence that it starts new inflammation is mixed. How to tell which one is happening to you.

Sources

Spitzer RL, Kroenke K, Williams JBW, Lowe B. A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: the GAD-7. Arch Intern Med. 2006;166(10):1092-7. doi:10.1001/archinte.166.10.1092
Pfizer. Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) Screeners: GAD-7 (English) and Instruction Manual: Instructions for Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) and GAD-7 Measures. https://www.phqscreeners.com/select-screener
University of Washington National HIV Curriculum. Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7). https://www.hiv.uw.edu/page/mental-health-screening/gad-7
Zamani M, Alizadeh-Tabari S, Zamani V. Systematic review with meta-analysis: the prevalence of anxiety and depression in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2019;50(2):132-43. doi:10.1111/apt.15325
Barberio B, Zamani M, Black CJ, Savarino EV, Ford AC. Prevalence of symptoms of anxiety and depression in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2021;6(5):359-70. doi:10.1016/S2468-1253(21)00014-5
Vasant DH, Paine PA, Black CJ, Houghton LA, Everitt HA, Corsetti M, et al. British Society of Gastroenterology guidelines on the management of irritable bowel syndrome. Gut. 2021;70(7):1214-40. doi:10.1136/gutjnl-2021-324598
Keefer L, Ballou SK, Drossman DA, Ringstrom G, Elsenbruch S, Ljotsson B. A Rome working team report on brain-gut behavior therapies for disorders of gut-brain interaction. Gastroenterology. 2022;162(1):300-15. doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2021.09.015
9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline (Canada). https://988.ca/

Cite this tool

Clairop. IBS Anxiety Check (GAD-7). www.clairop.com/tools/ibs-anxiety-check. Updated October 3, 2026.

Clairop is a general wellness app for people living with a diagnosed digestive condition. It does not replace professional medical care, diagnosis, or treatment. Always follow your healthcare provider's advice.

Clairop logs meals, symptoms and stool in seconds, then looks for the foods your gut reacts to, including reactions that land days later.

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