GAD-7, PHQ-9 and beyond — a guide to mental health screening tools

What are mental health screening tools?

Mental health screening questionnaires are short, standardised instruments used by doctors, psychologists and psychiatrists to quickly assess symptom severity and decide whether further diagnosis or treatment is needed.

Key concepts:

• Screening tool ≠ diagnosis. High scores indicate a need for a consultation.
• Sensitivity: the ability to detect true cases
• Specificity: the ability to correctly rule out healthy people
• Cutoff: the threshold that calls for further assessment

The key questionnaires

GAD-7 — Generalized Anxiety Disorder

• Measures: severity of generalised anxiety
• Questions: 7, scale 0–3
• Maximum: 21 points
• Clinical threshold: ≥ 10 (moderate anxiety)
• Use: screening in primary care, monitoring therapy
• Time: 2–3 minutes

PHQ-9 — Patient Health Questionnaire

• Measures: severity of depression
• Questions: 9, scale 0–3
• Maximum: 27 points
• Thresholds: 5 (mild), 10 (moderate), 15 (moderately severe), 20 (severe)
• Time: 3–5 minutes

PHQ-2 — ultra-short depression screening

Just 2 questions from the PHQ-9 (anhedonia + depressed mood). A score ≥ 3 suggests completing the full PHQ-9.

PCL-5 — PTSD Checklist

• Measures: PTSD symptoms (DSM-5)
• Questions: 20
• Threshold: ≥ 33 suggests probable PTSD
• Time: 5–10 minutes

AUDIT — Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test

• Measures: hazardous alcohol use
• Questions: 10
• Thresholds: 8+ (hazardous drinking), 15+ (harmful drinking/dependence)

How to use the results?

Screening tools are a starting point for a conversation with a doctor, not a verdict. A few rules:

1. Scores can be inflated during an acute crisis (e.g. right after a loss)
2. Scores can be deflated when symptoms are minimised
3. Tracking scores over time (e.g. every 2 weeks) is more valuable than a one-off measurement
4. For many tools, norms for the Polish population are available

Where to find help?

In Poland:

• Your GP (primary care) — can refer you to a psychiatrist or psychologist
• Mental Health Centre (Centrum Zdrowia Psychicznego, CZP) — free help without a referral
• Helpline for Adults in Emotional Crisis: 116 123 (free, 24/7)

On our platform you'll find the PHQ-9 (depression), the GAD-7 (anxiety) and the Burnout Test (OLBI) — all free, with instant results and interpretation. For any concerns, please consult a qualified mental health professional.