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A specialized edition intended for medical institutions and doctors.
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13 July 2022

Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5)

  • The Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5) is a screening tool designed to identify persons with the probable PTSD.

    Current research suggests that the results of the PC-PTSD-5 screening should be considered “positive” if a patient answers “yes” to any three items in the below questions.

    Those screening positive require further assessment, preferably with a structured interview for the post-traumatic stress disorder, which should be conducted by a mental-health professional who has experience in the diagnosis and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder.

    Questions to PTSD Screen using the PC-PTSD-5 scale

    Sometimes things happen to people that are unusually or especially frightening, horrible, or traumatic. For example:

    • A war
    • A serious accident or fire
    • A physical or sexual assault or abuse
    • An earthquake or flood
    • Seeing someone be killed or seriously injured
    • Having a loved one die through homicide or suicide.

    If you have ever experienced something like this, please answer which of the following events you have had in the past month:

    • 1. Have you had nightmares about the event(s) or thought about the event(s) when you did not want to?
      • Yes
      • No
    • 2. Have you 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)?
      • Yes
      • No
    • 3. Have you been constantly on guard, watchful, or easily startled?
      • Yes
      • No
    • 4. Have you felt numb or detached from people, activities, or your surroundings?
      • Yes
      • No
    • 5. Have you felt guilty or unable to stop blaming yourself or others for the event(s) or any problems the event(s) may have caused?
      • Yes
      • No
    Your result: 0

    Current research suggests that the PC-PTSD-5 should be considered "negative" if the patient answers "no" to any three or more items.