Updated
Published screening questionnaire – not a diagnosis
PC-PTSD-5 – PTSD screening self-check
Use the trauma-exposure question and five past-month items to review possible PTSD symptoms privately. No description of a traumatic event is requested.
Answers are processed only in this page by this assessment. They are not submitted, monitored or automatically saved. No name, email or account is required. Use a private device and clear your answers when finished.
For adults aged 18 and over. This self-check cannot diagnose or rule out a condition. Concerns about a child require an age-appropriate professional assessment.
Sometimes things happen to people that are unusually or especially frightening, horrible, or traumatic. For example: a serious accident or fire; a physical or sexual assault or abuse; an earthquake or flood; a war; seeing someone be killed or seriously injured; having a loved one die through homicide or suicide.
If no, the published screen stops here with a total of 0. If yes, answer the five questions below. You never need to describe the event on this website.
In the past month, have you…
Additional context – not included in any questionnaire score
PC-PTSD-5: Prins, Bovin, Kimerling, Kaloupek, Marx, Pless Kaiser and Schnurr (2015), VA National Center for PTSD. Public domain. The trauma-exposure question is followed by five past-month items only when exposure is endorsed. Clinical interpretation and diagnosis require professional assessment; screening cutoffs vary by population. Original instrument and scoring information.
What happens before a PTSD assessment?
An initial contact with a service can be about practical arrangements: location, fees, language and the assessment process. It should not require a detailed trauma narrative. The clinical assessment is a separate conversation with an appropriately qualified professional, in a setting where privacy, consent and the purpose of questions can be explained.
It is reasonable to ask whether the practitioner has experience assessing trauma-related difficulties and which aspects can be covered in the first appointment. You can also explain communication needs or preferences that may help you participate. Preparing for assessment is about making the conversation possible, not producing a complete written account of painful experiences.
What the clinician is trying to understand
A PTSD assessment considers the relevant experiences, current symptoms, their timing, effect on functioning and other possible explanations. It may include questions about intrusive memories, avoidance, alertness, sleep, mood, dissociation and changes in relationships. The clinician also needs to consider safety and whether the situation involves ongoing threat.
The assessment should make room for your main concern rather than follow a form without explanation. Sometimes additional assessment or specialist input is needed before a diagnosis is clarified. That uncertainty should be communicated plainly. A responsible service does not promise to diagnose PTSD from an online questionnaire or a single brief introductory call.
Start with current needs when that is easier
You might find it easier to describe difficulty sleeping, avoiding travel or feeling constantly on guard than to begin with the event itself. These present-day effects can provide a starting point. A professional can explain what further information is necessary and why, rather than treating every detail as equally important at the first meeting.
A fictional example is someone who wants help returning to an ordinary activity after an accident but is not ready to discuss everything in writing. The example does not establish PTSD. It shows how a goal and a current difficulty can begin a clinical discussion. Your preparation does not need to be polished or emotionally complete.
Health, other treatment and the wider situation
Existing therapy, medication, physical illness, substance use and relevant support may affect the recommendation. A clinician may need to understand depression, panic, dissociative symptoms or other difficulties alongside trauma-related concerns. Sharing relevant previous assessments with permission can reduce unnecessary repetition and help professionals work together.
Ask how information is recorded and who can receive a summary. Family participation should be discussed, not presumed. When a family seeks guidance without the person present, the assessment concerns the family’s own support needs and the appropriate service response; it is not a diagnosis of an absent relative. Clear roles reduce confusion about whose care is being planned.
Screening tools are not the appointment
There are established measures used in trauma-related care, but a self-report score does not replace diagnostic interviewing, consideration of exposure and duration, or assessment of competing explanations. A clinician may use a suitable measure as one part of a wider process. The value of that measure depends on how it is selected, administered and interpreted.
The companion worksheet helps you prepare for an appointment without calculating a PTSD probability score. It does not use clinical cut-offs, and it is not a substitute version of an established instrument. That distinction matters: an attractive interface and a numerical result do not make a new collection of questions clinically validated.
Using the private preparation worksheet
The worksheet asks what you would like help with now, what makes an appointment feel more manageable and which practical questions you want answered. It does not ask for details of traumatic events. You can leave questions blank and choose whether to download your notes. The tool does not save answers in browser storage, email them or pass them into an inquiry form.
Anything you download becomes a file under your control. Store it privately and decide what to share. You can stop if reflecting becomes uncomfortable. There is no need to complete every field to be entitled to seek care, and no result will label your experience as genuine or not genuine.
What should happen after assessment
A recommendation should explain the current clinical understanding, appropriate options and why a particular professional or approach is suggested. Ask about the initial treatment format, consent process, expected review points, costs and arrangements if difficulties intensify. Further assessment, individual therapy, coordinated outpatient support or another service may be appropriate.
An intensive program is not automatically better because the history is complex. Nor is an outpatient plan automatically suitable because someone cannot take time away. The clinician should explain the relation between your needs and the proposed setting, including what the clinic cannot provide. A written plan should make responsibilities understandable, especially when more than one professional is involved.
Urgent needs and the limits of online contact
If there is immediate danger or you cannot stay safe, contact local emergency services or attend an emergency department. Ongoing abuse or another threat may require specialist safety or safeguarding support in addition to mental-health treatment. Do not wait for a routine booking response when urgent help is needed.
VAYEMA assessment offers a clear first clinical step, not a crisis-response service. Use the worksheet only for information you are comfortable keeping privately and discussing with a professional. Do not submit a detailed trauma history through an ordinary website inquiry form.
Open the trauma appointment-preparation tool
PTSD screening tools and a professional assessment are different
Clinicians may use validated questionnaires to identify symptoms that need further discussion or to follow changes during care. The PC-PTSD-5 is a brief screening instrument, while the PCL-5 is a longer self-report measure. Neither should be treated as a stand-alone diagnosis. The National Center for PTSD distinguishes these measures from a structured clinical interview, which allows a trained professional to investigate the meaning and context of the responses.
VAYEMA’s trauma appointment-preparation tool is different again: it is an unscored worksheet, not a validated PTSD screening questionnaire. It helps you note what has changed and what would make the first appointment more manageable. It does not calculate a likelihood of PTSD, classify trauma severity or decide whether a particular therapy is suitable. Keeping these purposes separate prevents a useful preparation aid from being mistaken for a clinical test.
Making the first conversation more manageable
You might prepare a short note about current difficulties rather than the event itself. Examples include disrupted sleep, feeling constantly on guard, avoiding a journey, or struggling to feel connected to people. Add any questions you want answered and practical preferences, such as a quieter room or time to pause. These observations can begin the conversation without requiring you to reconstruct a complete history before meeting the professional.
Ask the service what the appointment involves, who will be present and whether you may bring someone. Discuss confidential communication and how summaries are shared. For an online assessment, arrange a private setting and agree what happens if the connection fails. If current safety is a concern, tell the professional directly through an appropriate channel rather than assuming that a worksheet or routine contact form will communicate the urgency.
Frequently asked questions about PTSD assessment and self-checks
Can an online PTSD test give me a definite answer?
No. A screening result can identify questions worth exploring, but diagnosis requires the pattern, duration, impact, relevant exposure and possible other explanations to be considered together. A result should not be used to choose a treatment package or certify safety. The understanding PTSD guide explains why symptoms and their context both matter.
What does the VAYEMA preparation worksheet score?
It does not produce a score. The prompts are there to organise observations and questions for an appointment. You can leave a prompt blank, stop using the worksheet or attend without it. It is not a substitute for the PC-PTSD-5, PCL-5 or a professional interview, and it does not decide whether your experience is serious enough to warrant support.
Will I have to remember every detail of what happened?
No appointment should require a perfectly remembered or polished account as an entry condition. Explain what you remember, what is uncertain and what feels difficult to discuss. The clinician should clarify the information needed and the limits of any conclusion. Assessment should not pressure you to fill gaps with guesses or treat uncertainty as proof of a particular explanation.
Can depression or anxiety affect a PTSD questionnaire?
Some experiences overlap, including sleep difficulties, concentration problems, distress and changes in mood. A professional considers these alongside trauma-related features rather than assuming one questionnaire explains everything. Read about depression assessment or anxiety assessment for related questions. You do not need to complete several tests before asking for help.
Can I attend with a family member or friend?
Ask about the arrangement when booking. A trusted person may help with practical support, but you can also ask for time alone with the clinician. Agree what may be discussed in front of them and what information may be shared afterwards. Their involvement should support your ability to participate, not replace your own account or automatically grant access to private information.
What should I receive after the assessment?
You should understand the working conclusions, any uncertainty, the recommended next step and relevant alternatives. Ask who would provide treatment, what the first phase involves and how it will be reviewed. The PTSD treatment guide explains common approaches. A clear assessment does not require an immediate commitment to a long programme or a particular provider.
A next step that does not require you to explain everything online
The trauma appointment-preparation tool is available as an optional aid. Keep any notes private and share them through a clinical channel you have agreed with the professional. For first contact, our assessment inquiry asks about practical preferences rather than a detailed trauma history. You can ask about clinician experience, language and appointment format before deciding whether to arrange a consultation.
If the concern is about someone close to you, family support can focus on your own questions and needs. It cannot diagnose an absent person through your account. If there is immediate danger, contact local emergency services instead of waiting for an online response.
Resources and references
National Center for PTSD: PC-PTSD-5 screening guidance. National Center for PTSD: PCL-5 purposes and interpretation. NICE NG116: recognition and assessment. These external resources describe formal instruments; the worksheet on this site remains an unscored preparation aid.