Introduction:
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects thoughts, emotions, and daily functioning. The five-item PC-PTSD-5 screen quickly checks how often you experienced key PTSD symptoms during the past month.
This tool presents the questions in a reactive interface, scores your responses instantly, and displays a colour-coded half-donut gauge so you can understand whether further evaluation may be helpful.
Use it to start an informed conversation with a clinician or to monitor changes over time. Never adjust treatment on self-screening alone. This screen is not a medical diagnosis; consult a qualified professional.
Technical Details:
The PC-PTSD-5 sums five binary answers (Yes = 1, No = 0) to yield a 0–5 total. A score ≥ 3 indicates elevated PTSD risk based on clinical validation studies.
Key processing steps:
- Responses stored only in your browser session
- Progress bar tracks completion in real time
- Half-donut gauge shows score distribution
- Risk badge colour matches evidence threshold
| Score | Risk Label |
|---|---|
| 0 – 2 | Low Risk |
| 3 – 5 | High Risk |
All calculations run client-side for privacy and instant performance.
Calculations & Scoring:
The questionnaire uses a single additive score to determine risk.
Each answer is converted to 1 (Yes) or 0 (No).
Adding the five values produces the score.
Scores of 3 – 5 suggest elevated PTSD risk; 0 – 2 do not.
Final Result
Your numeric score appears in the gauge and badge above the summary text.
Step-by-Step Guide:
Follow these steps to complete the questionnaire smoothly.
- Click the Begin Assessment button.
- Select Yes or No for each item.
- Use the question list to review or change any answer.
- Continue until the progress bar reaches 100 %.
- Scroll to the results panel to view your score and interpretation.
FAQ:
Common questions about the PC-PTSD-5 digital version.
Is my data stored?
No. All responses stay in your browser and disappear when you close or refresh the page.
What does the score mean?
A score of 3 – 5 suggests possible PTSD symptoms that warrant professional assessment; 0 – 2 suggests low risk.
Can I retake the questionnaire?
Yes. Refresh the page or reopen the tool to clear previous answers and start again.
Does completing this affect treatment?
No. The screen is informational only and should not replace clinical judgment or alter ongoing care.
Is the tool mobile-friendly?
Yes. The layout adapts to phones, tablets, and desktops for convenient self-screening anywhere.
Troubleshooting:
If something doesn’t work as expected, try these fixes.
No chart appears. Reload the page; the charting layer may not have initialised correctly.
Progress bar stuck. Ensure each question has exactly one selected answer.
Cannot scroll question list. Check that your device’s touch scrolling is not disabled.
Badge colours look wrong. Disable browser extensions that alter page styling.
Still seeing old answers. Clear the browser cache or open the tool in a private window.
Advanced Tips:
Enhance your screening workflow with these expert pointers.
- Bookmark the page with encoded results to track score changes over time.
- Print the answers table to share with a clinician during appointments.
- Combine the screen with a daily mood journal for richer context.
- Use device dark-mode settings for reduced eye strain at night.
- Pair results with breathing exercises to practise immediate coping strategies.
Glossary:
Key terms used in the assessment.
- PC-PTSD-5
- Five-item Primary Care PTSD screen.
- PTSD
- Anxiety disorder following exposure to trauma.
- Risk Threshold
- Score at which further assessment is advised.
- Half-Donut Gauge
- Semi-circular visual showing total score.
- Self-screening
- Personal health check completed without clinician.