Study ID: Rater:
Date: / /
DSM-III-R AXIS V:
GLOBAL ASSESSMENT OF FUNCTIONING SCALE (GAF)
Consider psychological, social, and occupational functioning on a hypothetical continuum of mental health
illness. Do not include impairment in functioning due to physical (or environmental) limitations.
Indicate appropriate code for the LOWEST level of functioning during the week of POOREST functioning in
past month. (Use intermediate level when appropriate, e.g., 45, 68, 72).
90 Absent or minimal symptoms (e.g., mild anxiety before an exam), good functioning in all areas,
interested and involved in a wide range of activities, socially effective, generally satisfied with life,
no more than everyday problems or concerns (e.g., an occasional argument
81 with family members).
80 If symptoms are present, they are transient and expectable reactions to psychosocial stressors
(e.g., difficulty concentrating after family argument); no more than slight impairment
71 in social, occupational, or school functioning (e.g., temporarily falling behind in school work).
70 Some mild symptoms (e.g., depressed mood and mild insomnia) OR some difficulty in social,
occupational, or school functioning (e.g., occasional truancy, or theft within the household),
61 but generally functioning pretty well, has some meaningful interpersonal relationships.
60 Moderate symptoms (e.g., flat affect and circumstantial speech, occasional panic attacks) OR
moderate difficulty in social, occupational, or school functioning (e.g., few friends, conflicts
51 with co-workers).
50 Serious symptoms (e.g., suicidal ideation, severe obsessional rituals, frequent shoplifting) OR any
serious impairment in social, occupational, or school functioning (e.g., no friends, unable
41 to keep a job).
40 Some impairment in reality testing or communication (e.g., speech is at times illogical, obscure, or
irrelevant) OR major impairment in several areas, such as work or school, family relations,
judgment, thinking, or mood (e.g., depressed man avoids friends, neglects family, and is unable to
work; child frequently beats up younger children, is defiant at home, and is
31 failing at school).
30 Behavior is considerably influenced by delusions or hallucinations OR serious impairment in
communication or judgment (e.g., sometimes incoherent, acts grossly inappropriately, suicidal
preoccupation) OR inability to function in almost all areas (e.g., stays in bed all day;
21 no job, home, or friends).
20 Some danger of hurting self or others (e.g., suicide attempts without clear expectation of death,
frequently violent, manic excitement) OR occasionally fails to maintain minimal personal hygiene
(e.g., smears feces) OR gross impairment in communication (e.g., largely incoherent
11 or mute).
10 Persistent danger of severely hurting self or others (e.g., recurrent violence) OR persistent
inability to maintain minimal personal hygiene OR serious suicide act with clear expectation
1 of death.
The GAF Scale is a revision of the GAS (Endicott, J., Spitzer, R.L., Fleiss, J., et al.: The Global Assessment Scale: A
procedure for measuring overall severity of psychiatric disturbance. Archives of General Psychiatry 33:766-771, 1976) and
the CGAS (Shaffer, D., Gould, M.S., Brasic, J., et al.: Children's Global Assessment Scale (CGAS). Archives of General
Psychiatry 40:1228-1231, 1983), which are revisions of the Health-Sickness Rating Scale (Luborsky, L.: Clinicians'
judgments of mental health. Archives of General Psychiatry 7:407-417, 1962).
MacArthur Study, 6/1/92