Trauma
Quick check after a hard event
Up to 6 questions · 1 min
This is a very short check that doctors use to see whether a frightening or traumatic experience may still be affecting someone. First it asks whether you’ve ever been through this kind of event. If you have, it asks five yes or no questions about the past month.
You don’t need to describe what happened. The result is a starting point for understanding how you’re doing, not a diagnosis.
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What it shows
Whether common after-effects of a frightening or traumatic event have been with you in the past month.
What it doesn’t
A diagnosis. Only a professional can assess post-traumatic stress disorder.
Who it’s for
This check may be useful if you’ve been through something frightening, such as a serious accident, an assault, a disaster or war, or seeing someone badly hurt, and you’re not sure whether it’s still affecting you. It can help even if the event was a long time ago.
It takes about a minute, and you don’t have to describe what happened. If you’d like a fuller picture afterwards, the longer stress after a hard experience check (PCL-5) asks about twenty reactions.
Questions people ask
What does the PC-PTSD-5 ask about?
First it asks whether you’ve been through a frightening or traumatic event. If you have, five yes or no questions ask about the past month: nightmares or unwanted thoughts about it, avoiding reminders, being on guard or easily startled, feeling numb or cut off, and feeling guilty or blaming yourself or others.
How is the PC-PTSD-5 scored?
Your score is the number of “yes” answers to the five questions, from 0 to 5. Four or more suggests it would be worth a closer look with a professional. Researchers note that the best cut-off depends on the setting and may be lower for some people, so a lower score is still worth talking about if it worries you.
What if I haven’t been through a traumatic event?
Then the check ends after the first question, with a score of 0. The five follow-up questions are only about the effects of such an event.
Is this a diagnosis?
No. It’s a quick screen, and only a professional can assess post-traumatic stress disorder.
What should I do if my score is 4 or more?
A doctor or therapist can help with the after-effects of a frightening experience, and there are treatments that work well. You can also talk to someone you trust about how you’ve been feeling.
What if I’m struggling right now?
If you might hurt yourself, call your local emergency number now. You can find free, confidential helplines in your country at findahelpline.com.
Where it comes from
Developed by Annabel Prins and colleagues at the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in the United States, and published in 2016.
Primary Care Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Screen
On iPhone or iPad?
Sprout is an app there too, and this link opens the test straight away if you have it.
Coming soon to the App Store