Your therapist or psychiatrist mentioned a GAF score and you want to understand what it means. The Global Assessment of Functioning scale rates your overall psychological, social, and occupational functioning on a scale from 1 to 100. Higher is better.
While the GAF was officially replaced in the DSM-5 by the WHODAS 2.0, many clinicians, disability evaluators, and insurance companies still use it. Understanding your score helps you track your progress and communicate with your treatment team.
What Clinicians Look For When Assigning a GAF Score
The GAF score combines two assessments into one number: symptom severity and functional impairment. The clinician assigns the lower of the two.
For example, if your symptoms are mild (score range 61-70) but your functioning at work is severely impaired (score range 31-40), your GAF score would land in the 31-40 range. The score always reflects whichever area is worse.
Clinicians consider your functioning over the past week or the past month, depending on the context. A GAF score from a disability evaluation captures a different snapshot than one from a routine therapy session.
GAF Score Ranges Explained
91 to 100: Superior Functioning
No symptoms. Excellent functioning across all areas of life. This person handles life stresses without them becoming overwhelming and is involved in a wide range of activities. Very few people receive scores in this range, even among those with no mental health diagnosis.
81 to 90: Absent or Minimal Symptoms
If symptoms exist, they are mild and transient, like slight anxiety before a job interview. This person functions well in all domains and has good social relationships. Most people without a mental health condition fall in this range.
71 to 80: Transient, Expectable Reactions
Symptoms are transient reactions to stressful situations. Think mild insomnia after a family argument, or brief sadness after a loss. Functioning may be slightly impaired socially or at work, but overall this person is doing well.
61 to 70: Mild Symptoms
Some mild symptoms like depressed mood, mild insomnia, or occasional anxiety. Some difficulty in social or occupational functioning, but generally this person is functioning fairly well and maintains meaningful relationships. Many people in outpatient therapy fall in this range.
51 to 60: Moderate Symptoms
Moderate symptoms such as flat affect, circumstantial speech, occasional panic attacks, or moderate depression. This person has moderate difficulty in social or work settings, maybe few friends or conflicts with coworkers. Treatment is clearly needed and often includes both therapy and medication.
41 to 50: Serious Symptoms
Serious symptoms like suicidal ideation, severe obsessional rituals, or frequent shoplifting. Major impairment in work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood. This person might be unable to hold a job or maintain friendships. Intensive outpatient or partial hospitalization may be appropriate.
31 to 40: Major Impairment
Behavior is considerably influenced by delusions or hallucinations, or there is serious impairment in communication or judgment. Alternatively, this person cannot function in almost all areas: work, family, judgment, thinking, or mood. Examples include a depressed person who avoids friends, neglects family, and cannot work.
21 to 30: Serious Impairment in Functioning
Behavior is considerably influenced by psychotic symptoms, or this person cannot function in almost all areas. May stay in bed all day, have no job, no home, or no friends. Communication is sometimes incoherent or grossly inappropriate.
11 to 20: Some Danger
Some danger of hurting self or others, or occasionally fails to maintain minimal personal hygiene, or gross impairment in communication. This person likely requires a supervised living situation or inpatient care.
1 to 10: Persistent Danger
Persistent danger of severely hurting self or others, or persistent inability to maintain even minimal personal hygiene, or serious suicidal act with clear expectation of death. This person requires immediate inpatient treatment.
Why Your GAF Score Matters
Your GAF score serves several practical purposes:
- Treatment planning: A lower score may indicate the need for more intensive treatment, medication adjustments, or a higher level of care
- Progress tracking: Comparing scores over time shows whether treatment is working. A score that moves from 45 to 62 over six months represents meaningful improvement
- Disability determinations: Social Security, Veterans Affairs, and insurance companies use GAF scores to assess functional impairment and determine benefit eligibility
- Communication: A single number gives a quick snapshot that helps providers coordinate care
How to Improve Your GAF Score
Improving your GAF score means reducing symptoms and improving daily functioning. Here are evidence-based strategies organized by what tends to move the needle most:
Address the Foundation
- Consistent sleep: Sleep disruption worsens nearly every mental health condition. Aim for the same wake time every day, even weekends
- Physical activity: Even 20 minutes of walking improves mood and cognitive function. Exercise is as effective as antidepressants for mild to moderate depression
- Medication adherence: If prescribed psychiatric medication, take it consistently. Stopping abruptly is the most common cause of relapse
Build Functional Capacity
- Structured routine: Having a predictable daily schedule improves functioning in people with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and psychotic disorders
- Social engagement: Start small. One phone call, one coffee with a friend, one support group meeting per week. Social isolation is both a symptom and a cause of low functioning
- Vocational activity: Work, volunteering, or structured education improves GAF scores more than almost any other single intervention
Engage in Evidence-Based Treatment
Cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and other structured approaches have strong evidence for improving both symptoms and functioning. If your current treatment is not working, discuss alternatives with your provider.
Also consider whether conditions like depression, anxiety, or stress are affecting your functioning. These are treatable, and addressing them directly often leads to significant GAF score improvements.
GAF Score vs. WHODAS 2.0
The DSM-5, published in 2013, replaced the GAF with the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0. The main criticism of the GAF was that it combined symptoms and functioning into one number, making it hard to tell which was driving the score.
The WHODAS 2.0 focuses purely on disability across six domains: cognition, mobility, self-care, getting along with people, life activities, and participation in society. Despite this change, the GAF remains widely used in clinical practice, legal settings, and disability evaluations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a “good” GAF score?
A score of 61 or higher generally indicates mild symptoms and adequate functioning. Scores above 70 suggest you are coping well. However, what matters most is your trajectory: a score that is steadily improving indicates effective treatment.
Can I increase my GAF score quickly?
Some changes can improve your score in weeks, like resuming medication, establishing a sleep routine, or returning to work. Other improvements take months of consistent therapy and lifestyle changes.
Is the GAF score still valid?
The GAF has known limitations, but it remains a widely used and accepted measure. Its inter-rater reliability improves when clinicians are properly trained. For tracking your own progress over time with the same provider, it is a useful tool.
