Google Partners with NAMI To Create an Anxiety–Disorder Self–Assessment

May 28, 2020

Today, in partnership with NAMI, Google has launched an anxiety self-assessment tool. When people in the U.S. look up information about anxiety on Google, they will now have access to a clinically-validated questionnaire called the GAD-7 (General Anxiety Disorder-7) that helps evaluate a person’s level of anxiety. After taking the questionnaire, Google will point users to NAMI’s resources. 

Anxiety disorders can present in a wide range of physical and emotional symptoms. They can be the result of a combination of biological factors triggered by not only genetics but a change in environment or exposure to a stressful event. 

The seven-question survey asks a few baseline questions about a person’s symptoms to gauge whether they need an assessment by a mental health professional. The GAD-7 does not determine a diagnosis. It is a tool to improve understanding of anxiety symptoms and point people toward resources and help. 

This GAD-7 is the third mental health screener directly available on Google Search. We’ve previously partnered with Google on self-assessment tools for depression and PTSD which connect people to relevant clinically-validated questionnaires that provide more information and links to resources about those conditions. 

People often turn to the Internet as their first point of research when trying to understand mental illness. It can take decades for people to get treatment from the time they first experience symptoms. By providing access to accurate information and useful resources and tools about anxiety, we hope to empower more people to seek help early.

Click here to visit the Google Health blog, where you can read a blog on the new feature by NAMI CEO Daniel H. Gillison, Jr.

Click here to watch a YouTube conversation between NAMI Chief Medical Officer Ken Duckworth, MD, and Google Health Vice President David Feinberg, MD, about why NAMI and Google are partnering for the self-assessment tool