Quick trauma screen (PC-PTSD-5)
A quick, private check based on the PC-PTSD-5. Free, scored on your device, and yours to keep.
What this check measures
The PC-PTSD-5 starts by asking whether you have been through a frightening or traumatic event. If you have, it asks five yes or no questions about the past month: nightmares, avoiding reminders, being on guard, feeling numb, and guilt or self-blame. Each yes is worth one point, for a score from 0 to 5.
How the scoring works
This is the short screen family doctors use, built for speed rather than detail. Three or more yes answers is the level the developers use on their own public version to suggest a closer look. The ranges are simply:
| Score | What it suggests |
|---|---|
| 0-2 | Below the follow-up range |
| 3-5 | Worth a closer look |
What it cannot tell you
Five questions cannot diagnose PTSD, and they cannot measure how severe anything is. This screen only answers one question: is a closer look worth taking. For the fuller picture, the 20-question post-trauma stress check goes considerably deeper, and a diagnosis takes a qualified professional.
Something happened, and you are not sure whether it is still affecting you. This is the quickest way to find out whether a closer look is worth taking. It is a free, five-question trauma screen built on the PC-PTSD-5, the short screen used in primary care. Under a minute, scored privately in your browser. It is a first look, not a diagnosis; if you want the fuller picture, the 20-question post-trauma stress check goes deeper.
Questions people ask
Is this a PTSD test?
No. It is a five-question screen that flags whether a closer look is worth taking; it does not test for or diagnose PTSD. Diagnosis needs a qualified professional, usually with a structured clinical interview.
How is this different from the longer trauma check?
This one answers whether to look further, in under a minute. The 20-question post-trauma stress check measures how strongly symptoms are showing up and across which areas. If you already know the answer to the first question, go straight to the longer one.
Why three, and not four?
Both numbers come from the developers. They publish four for clinicians, and note that four misses too many women. On their own public version they use three, so that is what a self-check should use; it errs toward suggesting a look rather than away from it.
Who sees my answers?
No one. The screen is scored entirely in your browser, and nothing you answer is sent to us or stored anywhere.
What should I do with my score?
Save the page first, because nothing is stored here. If you answered yes three or more times, the longer trauma check is a good next step, and so is a conversation; a free consultation is an easy place to start.
Working on trauma, with support
Trauma & PTSD therapy
This is a free screening tool, not a diagnosis. It can help you notice patterns and decide whether to reach out. Your answers stay on your device; nothing is sent or saved.