PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5)

If you would prefer to fill in this questionnaire offline you can download a pdf by clicking on the link.


Instructions: Below is a list of problems that people sometimes have in response to a very stressful experience. A very stressful experience means that the experience involved actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence. It could be something that happened to you directly, something you witnessed, or something you learned happened to a close family member or close friend. Some examples are a serious accident; fire; disaster such as a hurricane, tornado, or earthquake; physical or sexual attack or abuse; war; homicide; or suicide.


Please read each problem and then select one of the options to indicate how much you have been bothered by that problem in the past week. The options include not at all, a little bit, moderately, quite a bit, and extremely.

Problem Not at all A little bit Moderately Quite a bit Extremely
1. Repeated; disturbing; and unwanted memories of the stressful experience?
2. Repeated; disturbing dreams of the stressful experience?
3. Suddenly feeling or acting as if the stressful experience were actually happening again (as if you were actually back there reliving it)?
4. Feeling very upset when something reminded you of the stressful experience?
5. Having strong physical reactions when something reminded you of the stressful experience (for example, heart pounding; trouble breathing; sweating)?
6. Avoiding memories; thoughts; or feelings related to the stressful experience?
7. Avoiding external reminders of the stressful experience (for example: people; places; conversations; activities; objects; or situations)?
8. Trouble remembering important parts of the stressful experience?
9. Having strong negative beliefs about yourself; other people; or the world (for example having thoughts such as: I am bad; there is something seriously wrong with me; no one can be trusted; the world is completely dangerous)?
10. Blaming yourself or someone else for the stressful experience or what happened after it?
11. Having strong negative feelings such as fear; horror; anger; guilt; or shame?
12. Loss of interest in activities that you used to enjoy?
13. Feeling distant or cut off from other people?
14. Trouble experiencing positive feelings (for example: being unable to feel happiness or have loving feelings for people close to you)?
15. Irritable behaviour; angry outbursts; or acting aggressively?
16. Taking too many risks or doing things that could cause you harm?
17. Being "super-alert" or watchful or on guard?
18. Feeling jumpy or easily startled?
19. Having difficulty concentrating?
20. Trouble falling or staying asleep?

The range of scores for the PCL-5 is 0-80. The United States National Centre for PTSD (NC-PTSD) states that "a cut-point score of 31-33 appears to be reasonable based upon current psychometric work" and that "the patient may benefit from PTSD treatment." To assist clinicians in making a diagnosis of PTSD using the DSM-5 criteria, the NC-PTSD recommends a score of 2 "moderately" or above as an endorsement of a symptom, in which case DSM-5 would require at least: one Criterion B item (questions 1-5), one Criterion C item (questions 6-7), two Criterion D items (questions 8-14), and two Criterion E items (questions 15-20). They caution however that, in general, using a cutoff score tends to produce more reliable results than the DSM-5 diagnostic rule.

It should be noted that the above version of the questionnaire is intended for weekly monitoring of symptoms and does not include the DSM-5 Criterion A. It therefore cannot be used as a diagnostic tool.


Reference

Important

Please treat your scores on these or any other online questionnaires with caution. Questionnaires cannot be used to make a diagnosis of a mental health condition. Where a mental health condition has been diagnosed by a suitably qualified and experienced health professional these questionnaires may be used as a guide to the current severity of your condition. Always consult with a qualified health professional if you are concerned in any way about your mental health.

If you are worried about your safety, you should immediately consult with your GP or another suitably qualified health professional. If you are in the UK the following numbers might be of help to you:

You can find more guidance and additional helpline numbers on this NHS page: Help for suicidal thoughts

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