Serenity Programme™ - www.serene.me.
uk - Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF)
Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF)
Identifier Date
Superior functioning in a wide range of activities, life’s problems never seem to get
100 - 91 out of hand, is sought out by others because of his or her many positive qualities. No
symptoms
Absent or minimal symptoms, good functioning in all areas, interested and involved
90 - 81 in a wide range of activities, socially effective, generally satisfied with life, no more
than everyday problems or concerns
If symptoms are present they are transient and expectable reactions to psychosocial
80 - 71 stressors; no more than slight impairment in social, occupational, or school
functioning
Some mild symptoms or some difficulty in social, occupational, or school functioning,
70 - 61 but generally functioning pretty well, has some meaningful interpersonal
relationships
Moderate symptoms or moderate difficulty in social, occupational, or school
60 - 51
functioning
Serious symptoms or any serious impairment in social, occupational, or school
50 - 41
functioning
Some impairment in reality testing or communication or major impairment in several
40 - 31
areas, such as work or school, family relations, judgment, thinking or mood
Behavior is considerably influenced by delusions or hallucinations OR serious
30 - 21
impairment in communication or judgment or inability to function in almost all areas
Some danger of hurting self or others or occasionally fails to maintain minimal person
20 - 11
hygiene or gross impairment in communication
Persistent danger of severely hurting self or others or persistent inability to maintain
10 - 01
minimal personal hygiene or serious suicidal act with clear expectation of death
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Serenity Programme™ - www.serene.me.uk - Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF)
1. Starting at the top level of the scale, ask yourself ‘Is either the client’s symptom severity or
the client’s level of functioning worse than indicated in the range?’
2. Move down the scale until you find a range which matches the client’s symptom severity or
the level of functioning, whichever is the worst.
3. Double check your selection of a range in the following manner: The range immediately
below the one you have chosen should have examples which are too severe on both symptom
severity and level of functioning. If not both, keep moving down the scale.
4. Determine the specific number within the range selected - a score of ‘5’ or above suggest
the symptomatology and level of functioning to be nearer the next highest range on the scale,
while a Score of ‘4’ or below suggest the symptomatology and level of functioning to be nearer
to the next lowest range on the scale.
DSM IV Axis V is for reporting the clinician’s judgment of the individual’s overall level of
functioning. This information is useful in planning treatment and measuring its impact, and in
predicting outcome. The reporting of overall functioning on Axis V is done using the Global
Assessment of Functioning (GAF) Scale. The GAF scale may be particularly useful in tracking the
clinical progress of individuals in global terms, using a single measure. The GAF Scale is to be
rated with respect only to psychological, social, and occupational functioning. The instructions
specify:
“Do not include impairment in functioning due to physical (or environmental) limitations.”
In most instances, ratings on the GAF Scale should be for the current period (i.e. the level of
functioning at the time of the evaluation).
Privacy - please note - this form does not transmit any information about you or your assessment scores.
If you wish to keep your results, either print this document or save this file locally to your computer. If
you click ‘save’ before closing, your results will be saved in this document. These results are intended as
a guide to your health and are presented for educational purposes only. They are not intended to be a
clinical diagnosis. If you are concerned in any way about your health, please consult with a qualified
health professional.
Document Version: 2.0
Last Updated: 06 November 2010
Planned Review: 06 November 2015
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