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Trauma & PTSD · 1 min · 5 questions

PC-PTSD-5: Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5

Five yes/no questions about the past month, for people who have experienced trauma. About 1 minute.

Medical disclaimer: this is a validated screening questionnaire, not a diagnostic test. Only a qualified health professional can diagnose a condition. Your answers are processed in your browser and are never sent or stored.

PC-PTSD-5: 0 of 5 answeredScore: 0 / 5 · Negative screen

Sometimes things happen to people that are unusually or especially frightening, horrible, or traumatic (for example a serious accident, assault, disaster, or combat). If anything like this has ever happened to you: in the past month, have you…

  1. 1.…had nightmares about the event(s) or thought about the event(s) when you did not want to?
  2. 2.…tried hard not to think about the event(s) or went out of your way to avoid situations that reminded you of the event(s)?
  3. 3.…been constantly on guard, watchful, or easily startled?
  4. 4.…felt numb or detached from people, activities, or your surroundings?
  5. 5.…felt guilty or unable to stop blaming yourself or others for the event(s) or any problems the event(s) may have caused?

PC-PTSD-5 result

Answer all 5 questions for a complete result. Current partial score shown.

0
out of 5
Negative screen
Range 0–2

Your responses make PTSD unlikely at this time.

Recommended next steps

  • Re-screen if symptoms appear or worsen.

Answer the remaining questions to enable the report:

  • PC-PTSD-5:

Screening result only, not a diagnosis. Share it with a doctor or therapist.

PC-PTSD-5 scoring guide

ScoreInterpretationSuggested action
0–2Negative screenRe-screen if symptoms appear or worsen.
3–5Positive screenComplete the PCL-5 for a detailed symptom score.

Clinical background

What it measures

The PC-PTSD-5 is the US Department of Veterans Affairs' primary-care screen for PTSD. It begins by establishing exposure to a traumatic event, then asks about five core symptom domains over the past month.

How it is scored

Each 'yes' scores 1 point. A cut-point of 3 showed 95% sensitivity and 85% specificity in veteran primary care samples (Prins et al., 2016). Positive screens are typically followed by the PCL-5 or a clinical interview.

Reference: Prins A, Bovin MJ, Smolenski DJ, et al. The Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5): development and evaluation within a veteran primary care sample. J Gen Intern Med. 2016;31(10):1206–1211. Public domain.