Your GAD-2 score ranges from 0 to 6 and reflects the frequency of two core anxiety symptoms: feeling nervous or anxious and inability to stop or control worrying. A score of 0-2 is considered a negative screen, suggesting that clinically significant anxiety is unlikely at this time. A score of 3 or higher is a positive screen with a sensitivity of 86% and specificity of 83% for generalized anxiety disorder, indicating that further evaluation with the full GAD-7 or a clinical interview is recommended.

A positive screen does not confirm an anxiety disorder diagnosis. Many people experience transient anxiety related to life stressors, medical procedures, or situational factors that may elevate their score without meeting criteria for a clinical disorder. The GAD-2 identifies patients who need further assessment to distinguish normal worry from pathological anxiety.

The GAD-2 is designed for rapid anxiety screening in high-volume clinical settings. It is commonly used alongside the PHQ-2 as part of a brief four-question mental health screen covering both depression and anxiety. This combination is practical for primary care intake forms, annual wellness visits, and pre-operative assessments.

It is also useful in settings where the full GAD-7 would be too time-consuming, such as emergency departments, walk-in clinics, or large-scale population health screening programs. When the GAD-2 is positive, clinicians should follow up with the full GAD-7 for severity assessment or proceed directly to a clinical interview.

The GAD-2 captures only two of the seven GAD-7 items and cannot characterize anxiety severity or monitor treatment response. It is strictly a gate-keeping screener and should always be followed by more comprehensive assessment when positive.

While developed for generalized anxiety disorder, the GAD-2 has moderate sensitivity for other anxiety disorders (panic disorder, social anxiety, PTSD) but may miss cases where the primary symptoms are somatic (palpitations, tremor, gastrointestinal distress) or disorder-specific (avoidance in social anxiety, flashbacks in PTSD). Disorder-specific screening tools are more appropriate when a particular anxiety disorder is suspected.

The GAD-2 does not distinguish between anxiety disorders and anxiety symptoms caused by medical conditions such as hyperthyroidism, stimulant use, caffeine excess, or medication side effects. A clinical interview is needed to establish the correct diagnosis and rule out medical causes of anxiety symptoms.