Trauma Self-Assessment
If you're wondering whether a difficult experience is still affecting you – this helps you understand what you're carrying.
What is the difference between PTSD and Complex PTSD?
PTSD typically follows a single traumatic event and centres on intrusive memories, avoidance, and being on edge. Complex PTSD, or CPTSD, usually follows prolonged or repeated trauma, particularly early or relational, and adds difficulties with emotion regulation, self-concept, and relationships. This self-assessment helps you reflect across both.
What this assessment explores
This assessment provides an opportunity to reflect on the ongoing impact a traumatic experience may have had on your life. It can help you better understand the difficulties you're experiencing today and explore whether they may be consistent with PTSD and Complex PTSD. It's built on the ITQ, an internationally recognised trauma measure.
See the original scaleWhat you can expect
There are 18 questions, and they'll ask you to reflect on how you've been feeling since a traumatic experience. Some might feel very familiar. Others might help you name something you've been carrying without quite having the words for. If any questions bring up strong emotions, it may help to speak with someone you trust or a qualified professional.
The questions touch on things like:
- Intrusive memories, flashbacks, or distressing dreams
- Avoiding people, places, or feelings connected to what happened
- Feeling on edge, hypervigilant, or easily startled
- Finding it hard to manage overwhelming emotions
- How you've come to see yourself
- How the experience may have affected your relationships
Your responses will help you understand whether what you're experiencing aligns with more complex patterns that can develop after prolonged difficulty – giving you language for something that can be hard to name.
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Dr Ben Buchanan
Clinical Psychologist
Why this is free and private
Insightable Mind is built by clinical and research psychologists to help people better understand themselves, while contributing to meaningful psychological research. These assessments are offered free as part of that work. Your responses are private – when data is used for research, it's fully anonymized and combined with others to help improve the assessments and answer important questions about human psychology.
Top tips
Our best advice to help you get the most out of your self-assessment:
