Condition PTSD
PTSD: when a past event won’t stay in the past
Post-traumatic stress disorder can follow any frightening, horrible, or life-threatening experience — combat, assault, an accident, abuse, a medical emergency, a disaster. It’s the mind and body staying in survival mode long after the danger has passed, replaying the event and bracing for it to happen again. It is common, it is not weakness, and it responds well to treatment.
If a past event still intrudes on your present, the PC-PTSD-5 PTSD screening is a brief, private first step. It won’t diagnose PTSD, but it will tell you whether a fuller evaluation is worth pursuing.
Take the ptsd test
What ptsd can look like
PTSD symptoms cluster into four groups, present for more than a month after the event:
- Re-experiencing: nightmares, flashbacks, or intrusive memories
- Avoidance of reminders — places, people, conversations
- Being constantly on guard, jumpy, or easily startled
- Feeling numb, detached, or cut off from others
- Negative shifts in mood and thinking — guilt, blame, hopelessness
- Trouble sleeping or concentrating
Read the full guide to ptsd symptoms →
When to seek help
- Symptoms have lasted more than a month and affect daily life.
- You’re avoiding important things to steer clear of reminders.
- You’re using alcohol or substances to cope, or you ever feel unsafe — call or text 988.
Questions worth asking a clinician
- Do my history and this screen point toward PTSD?
- What trauma-focused treatments (like EMDR or trauma-focused CBT) might fit me?
- Do I have to talk through the details to get help?
- How long does treatment usually take to help?
PTSD by the numbers
6.8%
of U.S. adults will experience PTSD in their lifetime
NIMH
3.6%
had PTSD in the past year
NIMH
≈2×
more common in women than men
NIMH
Sources: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) / Harvard NCS-R.
Frequently asked questions
What are the symptoms of PTSD?
PTSD symptoms fall into four groups: re-experiencing (intrusive memories, nightmares, flashbacks), avoidance of reminders, negative changes in mood and thinking (fear, guilt, detachment), and hyperarousal (being on guard, easily startled, irritable, poor sleep) — persisting after a traumatic event.
What causes PTSD?
PTSD is triggered by experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event — such as assault, combat, an accident, disaster, or abuse. Not everyone who experiences trauma develops PTSD; risk is shaped by the nature of the event, prior experiences, support, and biology.
Does PTSD go away?
For some people symptoms ease over months; for others PTSD persists for years without treatment. Trauma-focused therapy substantially improves recovery, so PTSD is best treated rather than simply waited out.
How does PTSD affect a person’s life?
PTSD can disrupt sleep, concentration, relationships, and work, and can bring irritability, emotional numbness, and a constant sense of threat. It commonly occurs alongside depression, anxiety, and substance use — which is why getting help matters.
How is PTSD treated?
The most effective treatments are trauma-focused therapies such as trauma-focused CBT and EMDR, sometimes with medication. You do not have to relive every detail to recover — a trauma-informed clinician works at your pace.