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A minute to breathe

Box breathing: breathe in for a count of four, hold for four, breathe out for four and hold again. Four rounds, a little over a minute.

Breathe in

Round 1 of 4

Traumatic stress

Twenty questions, five minutes. The PCL-5 is the US National Center for PTSD's questionnaire, used worldwide to check how a very stressful experience echoes now: in memories, avoidance, mood and tension.

Take the test
  • 5 min
  • 20 questions
  • PCL-5 scale, 2013

After a very stressful event the mind needs time to process it, and in the first weeks almost everyone has intrusive memories, anxiety and poor sleep. If a month or more later it keeps coming back, makes you avoid people and places, and keeps your body braced for danger, it may be post-traumatic stress disorder. The test does not diagnose, but it shows how strong these echoes are and where they are strongest.

How to read the result

  1. 0-19Few signsThe echoes of what happened are faint.
  2. 20-32Noticeable echoesSymptoms are there, but below the PTSD threshold.
  3. 33-80Above the PTSD thresholdIt looks like post-traumatic stress: a specialist is needed.

Common questions

What is PTSD, and how is it different from ordinary stress?

After a very stressful event almost everyone has anxiety, poor sleep and intrusive memories for a while: that is how the mind processes experience. PTSD is when these reactions last more than a month, get in the way of life and form a recognisable pattern: the event comes back, reminders are avoided, thoughts about oneself and the world change, and the body stays on guard.

How is the score calculated?

Each of the 20 answers is worth 0 to 4 points, for a total of 0 to 80. The National Center for PTSD names a cut-point of 31 to 33, above which PTSD is probable; the site takes the more careful 33. Separately, the test checks whether symptoms are present in all four groups, as DSM-5 requires.

Which event should I think of when answering?

The one that troubles you most now. It may be an accident, violence, war, a sudden loss, a serious illness or a medical procedure. What matters is not how frightening the event looks from outside, but how it echoes in you.

What should I do if my score is high?

See a specialist who works with trauma. PTSD is very treatable: EMDR and trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy have proven effectiveness and are recommended by the World Health Organization. The earlier you start, the easier the road, but help works even many years after the event.

What to take next

The PCL-5, the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (Weathers et al., 2013), was developed by the US National Center for PTSD and is in the public domain. It is a screening, not a diagnosis: only a specialist can diagnose, after a conversation. If you feel very bad right now or have thoughts of hurting yourself, please call an ambulance or a helpline.