Adult mental health self-reflection
Complex PTSD Test: Understand your experiences.
Explore 15 questions about trauma-related experiences, then learn what a CPTSD assessment can consider. Your total is for reflection, not a diagnosis.
Educational self-reflection, not a diagnosis. If you are thinking about suicide or self-harm, seek immediate human support. In immediate danger, contact your local emergency services. For US support resources, see NIMH help for mental illnesses. Outside the US, contact a local crisis service. A quiz cannot assess a crisis. For sexual violence support, visit RAINN; for child abuse concerns, visit Childhelp. If someone is harming you now, ask a specialist service about safety planning; you do not have to make a sudden decision.
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THE SELF-CHECK15 focused questions15 questions for adult self-reflection; stop whenever you need.
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PRIVACY FIRSTNo account neededFree to take, with no sign-up. Your result appears right away.
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CLEAR BOUNDARIESInformation, not a diagnosisLearn what your answers can and cannot tell you.
The self-check
Take the complex PTSD test
Reflect on trauma-related experiences without having to describe what happened. Go gently: you can pause or stop at any time. This is an educational questionnaire, not a diagnosis.
Your score
What the bands mean
- 0–15 Descriptive total range 1
- 16–30 Descriptive total range 2
- 31–45 Descriptive total range 3
- 46–60 Descriptive total range 4
Each selected answer contributes its 0–4 weight to a 0–60 total. These ranges are not clinical severity bands. This unvalidated house-scale total cannot confirm or rule out a condition, estimate its probability, measure clinical severity, or determine support needs. Different answer patterns can give the same total.
A house questionnaire, not a clinical diagnostic instrument.
The short answer
What is complex PTSD?
Complex PTSD (CPTSD) is a trauma-related diagnosis in ICD-11. It includes PTSD symptoms together with persistent difficulties managing emotions, a deeply negative view of oneself, and relationship difficulties.
Experiences after trauma vary. A particular history does not establish a diagnosis, and an online total cannot tell whether the required pattern is present. You do not need to describe traumatic events here.
Your history is more than a score. Care can focus on the difficulties you want help with, whether or not CPTSD is the eventual diagnosis.
ICD-11 recognizes CPTSD separately from PTSD; DSM-5 includes complex trauma responses within its broader PTSD framework.
Know the signs
What can complex PTSD involve?
These experiences need context. Recognizing one does not establish a diagnosis.
Intrusive memories
Unwanted memories, nightmares, or feeling as if a traumatic experience is happening again.
Avoidance
Keeping away from reminders, or trying to push away thoughts and feelings connected with an experience.
A continuing sense of threat
Feeling on guard or being easily startled, even when there is no immediate danger.
Difficulty with emotions
Feeling overwhelmed by emotion or having difficulty feeling emotions at all.
A negative view of yourself
Persistent shame, guilt, or a sense of worthlessness connected with traumatic experiences.
Relationship difficulties
Finding it hard to feel close to others or to sustain connection.
PTSD and complex PTSD
Both call for an assessment of symptoms and their effect on life.
| Feature | PTSD | Complex PTSD |
|---|---|---|
| Core pattern | Re-experiencing, avoidance, and a sense of current threat in ICD-11. | Includes the ICD-11 PTSD pattern. |
| Additional difficulties | The full history still matters. | Persistent emotion-regulation, self-concept, and relationship difficulties. |
| Trauma history | A qualifying traumatic exposure is assessed. | Often follows prolonged or repeated trauma; history alone is not diagnostic. |
| Online score | Cannot establish this diagnosis. | Cannot establish this diagnosis. |
What clinicians look for
How is complex PTSD assessed?
A professional assessment considers the whole picture. This questionnaire does not replace it.
- 01 History
A paced conversation
A clinician asks about experiences and current symptoms without expecting you to tell everything at once.
- 02 Pattern
More than a total
Assessment considers which symptoms occur together, their persistence, and their effects on daily life.
- 03 Context
Other needs and safety
Sleep, dissociation, mood, substance use, physical health, and present safety can shape a care plan.
The 15-item total cannot confirm the ICD-11 symptom pattern, rule out PTSD, or establish whether any traumatic exposure meets diagnostic requirements.
Understanding the context
Understanding the context
Traumatic experiences can affect people differently. Exposure, current circumstances, and the support available all matter; none of this makes a survivor responsible for what happened.
Prolonged or repeated harm
Childhood abuse, neglect, and ongoing violence can be part of the history considered in a CPTSD assessment.
Individual responses
Not everyone who experiences trauma develops PTSD or CPTSD. A clinician considers your own experience rather than assuming an outcome.
Present circumstances
Current danger or unstable living conditions deserve attention alongside symptoms. Support can include practical help and safety planning.
Evidence-based care
What support can help?
PTSD treatments can help. A trauma-informed clinician can discuss treatment choices, readiness, current safety, and additional support needs.
- 01 / TRAUMA-FOCUSED THERAPY
Trauma-focused CBT
A structured psychological treatment can address trauma-related memories, beliefs, and avoidance with a trained professional.
- 02 / PROCESSING MEMORIES
EMDR
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing is another treatment option for PTSD, delivered by a trained therapist.
- 03 / INDIVIDUAL CARE
A plan that fits you
Discuss medication when appropriate, practical needs, and follow-up. Do not start or stop medicine based on this quiz.
Treatment decisions belong in a conversation with a qualified professional. Do not start, stop, or change medication based on an online score.
Practical next steps
What can you do next?
Choose one manageable next step. You do not need a particular score to ask for support.
- 01
Choose one concern
Identify one difficulty you want help with, such as nightmares, feeling on guard, or trouble connecting.
- 02
Arrange an assessment
Ask a primary care professional or trauma-trained mental health professional about a paced assessment.
- 03
Decide what feels manageable
Ask how appointments work, what choices you have, and how support will be adjusted if you feel overwhelmed.
If you are thinking about suicide or self-harm, seek immediate human support. In immediate danger, contact your local emergency services. For US support resources, see NIMH help for mental illnesses. Outside the US, contact a local crisis service. A quiz cannot assess a crisis. For sexual violence support, visit RAINN; for child abuse concerns, visit Childhelp. If someone is harming you now, ask a specialist service about safety planning; you do not have to make a sudden decision.
Good questions to ask
Complex PTSD test FAQs
Practical answers about this questionnaire, its limits, and getting support.
This questionnaire cannot tell you. A trained clinician considers trauma exposure, the symptom pattern, functioning, and other explanations. You can seek care at any score.
No. It is a preserved 15-item house self-check. It does not use the ITQ diagnostic scoring algorithm and has no established diagnostic accuracy.
It is the sum of your selected response weights. The four displayed ranges are descriptive groupings, not clinical thresholds or probabilities of CPTSD.
No. Prolonged or repeated trauma, including childhood abuse, may be relevant, but the diagnosis depends on the clinical symptom pattern rather than childhood history alone.
ICD-11 CPTSD includes the PTSD pattern plus persistent difficulties with emotion regulation, negative self-concept, and relationships. This quiz cannot determine that pattern.
Yes. You can pause or stop without finishing. You do not need to describe events or push through distress to deserve help.
Treatment and support can help. A professional can discuss trauma-focused therapies and care adapted to your circumstances. A quiz cannot predict your individual response.
A low total cannot dismiss a distressing experience or rule out a condition. Discuss the specific difficulty and its effect on your life with a professional.
This page is written for adult self-reflection. Children and teens need an age-appropriate assessment with a qualified professional and a safe trusted adult where appropriate.
Editorial transparency
Sources and review information
Prepared by the PsyMed Editorial Team. No clinician reviewer is claimed. Independent source and scoring review: . Existing question provenance and permission remain inherited uncertainties. Read how we build our tests and who we are.
Medical and editorial references
Your experience deserves attention
Your score is a starting point.
Use this reflection to name a concern and seek support that fits your circumstances.
Take the self-check