Twenty questions about difficulties linked to a very stressful experience during the past month. You may stop if answering becomes overwhelming.
Method and research sourcesPCL-5 is a 20-item self-report checklist corresponding to DSM-5 PTSD symptoms. It can quantify and monitor symptoms or support screening, but a structured clinical interview is needed for diagnosis.
Each response is scored 0 to 4 and the 20 items are summed to 0–80. The four displayed subtotals follow DSM-5 clusters B (items 1–5), C (6–7), D (8–14), and E (15–20).
The current VA measure page, original development study, and veteran validation study are listed below.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD
Christy A. Blevins, Frank W. Weathers, Margaret T. Davis, Tracy K. Witte, Jessica L. Domino
Michelle J. Bovin, Brian P. Marx, Frank W. Weathers, et al.
Resources are linked by PTSD and trauma topic, not by an automatic diagnosis.
How PTSD affects adults, how a flashback differs from a memory, when to seek help and what treatment focused on traumatic experiences involves.
EMDR for PTSD: assessment and preparation, the eight treatment phases, eye movements, possible difficulties, and questions to ask a therapist before starting.
Count ten categories of adverse childhood experiences and read a trauma-informed explanation of what an ACE score can and cannot tell you.
Take the 10-item PSS-10 and reflect on how unpredictable, uncontrollable, and overloaded life felt during the last month.
No. The VA describes 31–33 as an initial probable-PTSD range across some samples, not a diagnosis.
They organize symptoms into intrusion, avoidance, negative thoughts and mood, and arousal/reactivity. They are descriptive, not separate diagnoses.
PCL-5 is used to monitor change, but changes should be interpreted in context; the validated standard timeframe is the past month.
