Anxiety is one of the most common mental health issues that people face and it has only been heightened by the current pandemic we’re facing. Search for anxiety and other related terms have probably increased and so Google is partnering with the National Alliance on Mental Illness to help those who may be seeking answers. When people in the U.S. search for “anxiety” on Google, they will provide access to the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 questionnaire which they can take to determine if they may need to seek help.
This isn’t the first time actually that Google has given self-assessment tools for those that are searching for mental health-related things on Google. Previously, NAMI has also partnered with Google in providing clinically-validated questionnaires for those that were searching for depression and PTSD. Now, because there has been a noticeable spike in looking for information and tools to deal with anxiety, they are giving their third mental health screener.
When people in the U.S. search for information about anxiety, they will see the link to the GAD-7 self-assessment questionnaire in the knowledge panel. You can take this test if you suspect that you may be suffering from anxiety as this is a clinically-validated questionnaire. You will also be able to find medically-validated information about this mental health issue including the common symptoms and treatments.
NAMI also provides access to resources that they have created for those who are looking for more information or tools that they can use to manage their anxiety or to help loved ones going through this condition. The questionnaires and information for depression and PTSD are still accessible for when you search for those terms and related terms on Google Search.
This is only available to Google users in the U.S. There’s no indication yet that it will be available to other territories but hopefully Google will be able to also create some localized version of this for some countries where mental health issues are also on the rise (which may be basically everywhere that the pandemic is affecting).
