If you have lived through something frightening or overwhelming and months later still feel on edge, avoid reminders of it, or relive it in nightmares or flashbacks, you may be wondering whether it is post-traumatic stress disorder. This self-assessment walks through the kinds of experiences clinicians ask about when they evaluate PTSD. Answer honestly about the past month.
This self-assessment is for information only. It is not a diagnostic tool and cannot replace an evaluation by a licensed mental health professional. If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 or call 911.
PTSD Self-Assessment
Think about a stressful or traumatic event: something that involved actual or threatened death, serious injury or sexual violence, whether it happened to you, you witnessed it, or you learned it happened to someone close to you. In the past month, have you:
- Had unwanted, upsetting memories of the event that come up when you do not want them to?
- Had nightmares about it, or dreams that leave you shaken?
- Felt as if it were happening again (flashbacks), or reacted physically, with a racing heart, sweating or panic, when something reminded you of it?
- Gone out of your way to avoid people, places, conversations or activities that remind you of it?
- Tried hard not to think or feel anything about it?
- Found it hard to remember important parts of what happened?
- Felt persistently negative about yourself, other people or the world (“I am broken,” “no one can be trusted”)?
- Blamed yourself or others for the event in a way that feels stuck?
- Felt cut off from people, unable to feel positive emotions, or lost interest in things you used to enjoy?
- Been unusually irritable, angry, reckless or on guard, startled easily, or had trouble concentrating or sleeping?
What Your Answers May Mean
Clinicians look for symptoms across four areas: re-experiencing (questions 1 to 3), avoidance (4 and 5), negative changes in thinking and mood (6 to 9) and changes in arousal and reactivity (10). If you answered yes to several of these, they have lasted more than a month, and they are interfering with work, relationships or daily life, it is worth talking to a professional. Only a licensed clinician can diagnose PTSD, and many people with some of these symptoms have another condition, such as depression or an anxiety disorder, or a normal but painful stress reaction that will ease with support.
Free, Confidential Helpline
Ready to take the next step toward recovery?
Our Recovery Advocates are available around the clock to answer your questions, verify your insurance, and help you find the right level of care — at no cost to you.
What PTSD Is
Post-traumatic stress disorder is the mind and body staying in survival mode after the danger has passed. It affects roughly 6 percent of U.S. adults at some point in their lives and is more common after combat, assault, accidents, disasters and childhood abuse. It frequently occurs alongside depression, anxiety and substance use, since alcohol and drugs are often used to blunt the symptoms. Learn more about PTSD.
How PTSD Is Treated
- Trauma-focused therapies with strong evidence: prolonged exposure, cognitive processing therapy and EMDR
- Medication, most often SSRIs or SNRIs, for mood, anxiety and sleep
- Treatment of co-occurring substance use at the same time, not afterward
- Levels of care from weekly outpatient therapy to intensive outpatient, partial hospitalization and inpatient programs for severe symptoms, safety concerns or when substance use is also present
See inpatient mental health treatment and online counseling.
Want to talk to someone about your results? Our admissions team can arrange a confidential assessment with a licensed clinician and explain treatment options, from outpatient therapy to inpatient care. Verify your insurance or call any time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have PTSD from something that happened years ago?
Yes. Symptoms can begin or return long after the event, and delayed onset is well recognized.
Is it PTSD if I was not the one in danger?
It can be. Witnessing trauma, or learning that it happened to someone close to you, can cause PTSD.
Does PTSD go away on its own?
Some people recover with time and support; for many, symptoms persist or worsen without treatment. Trauma-focused therapy is effective at any point.
Does insurance cover PTSD treatment?
Under federal parity law, most plans cover mental health treatment comparably to medical care. Verify your coverage in minutes.
