Outcome MeasureWell-being

GAF

Global Assessment of Functioning

2 Papers in Blossom

About This Instrument

The Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) is a clinician-rated numeric scale (0–100) used to assess the overall social, occupational, and psychological functioning of an individual. It was introduced as Axis V of the DSM-IV multiaxial system. Higher scores reflect better functioning: 91–100 indicates superior functioning with no symptoms, while scores below 30 reflect serious impairment including inability to function in almost all areas. Although the GAF was removed from DSM-5 in favor of the WHODAS 2.0, it remains widely used in psychedelic research as a measure of global clinical improvement. The GAF is valued for its simplicity and ability to capture overall treatment response in a single number, though it has been criticized for conflating symptom severity with functional impairment.

Clinical Thresholds

0100
Severe impairment
Score 0–30
Major impairment
Score 31–50
Moderate symptoms
Score 51–60
Mild symptoms
Score 61–70
Good functioning
Score 71–90
Superior
Score 91–100

Outcome Data Across Studies

Reported results for GAF across 1 study with quantitative data.

Papers Using GAF

Open Accessindividual

Efficacy and Safety of Psilocybin in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression: The EPISODE Randomized Clinical Trial

In this triple‑blind, active placebo‑controlled randomised trial (n=144) of adults with treatment‑resistant depression, two 25 mg doses of psilocybin plus adjunct psychotherapy produced clinically meaningful reductions in depressive symptoms on exploratory secondary measures but did not significantly improve the pre‑second‑dose HAMD17 response rate versus nicotinamide.

Published
Journal
JAMA Psychiatry
Authors
Mertens, L. J., Koslowski, M., Betzler, F., Brand, M., Evens, R., Kärtner, L., Jungaberle, A., Jungaberle, H., Majić, T., Schmitz, C. N., Ströhle, A., Scharf, D., Spangemacher, M., Wolff, M., Assadi, Z., Bahri, S., Becher, L., Färber, L. V., Kirchen, N., Kulakova, E., Kunz, L., Meijer, A., Rohrmoser, B., Wellek, S., Berger, M. M., Gründer, G.
Open Accessindividual

3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder in military veterans, firefighters, and police officers: a randomised, double-blind, dose-response, phase 2 clinical trial

This Phase II clinical trial (n=26) finds that MDMA-assisted psychotherapy (75-125 mg) led to significant and sustained decreases in PTSD (CAPS-IV) scores as compared to an active placebo (30 mg). At the 12-month follow-up, the average CAPS-IV score had dropped from 87 to 39 (67% no longer qualified for PTSD diagnosis).

Published
Journal
Lancet Psychiatry
Authors
Mithoefer, A. T., Mithoefer, M. C., Feduccia, A. A., Jerome, L., Wagner, M. T., Wymer, J., Holland, J., Hamilton, S., Yazar-Klosinski, B., Emerson, A., Doblin, R.

Quick Facts

Full Name
Global Assessment of Functioning
Domain
Well-being
Papers Indexed
2
Score Range
0–100
Interpretation
Higher = better
Unit
points
All Measures