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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Screening Tool

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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Screening Tool, PTSD Screening, DREAMS Mnemonic, SPAN Questionnaire

  • See Also
  1. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  2. Primary Care PTSD Screen (PC-PTSD)
  • Mnemonic
  • DREAMS
  1. Detachment (alexithymia) and numb emotionally
  2. Reexperiencing the Event (Nightmares, Flashbacks)
  3. Event with emotional effects (distress, unsafe, fear)
  4. Avoidance (reminder places, activities or people)
  5. Month duration or longer
  6. Sympathetic hyperactivity (Insomnia, irritability)
  7. Lange (2000) Am Fam Physician 62:1035-40 [PubMed]
  • Diagnosis
  • Validated screening tools
  1. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Screening Checklist (PCL-5)
    1. https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/assessment/adult-sr/ptsd-checklist.asp#obtain
    2. Twenty questions, based on the last month, each rated on scale of 0 (not at all) to 4 (extremely)
    3. Score of 33 or more suggests PTSD that would benefit from PTSD specific management
  2. SPAN (Startle, Physiologic Arousal, Anger, Numb)
    1. Based on Davidson Trauma Scale
    2. Self rating scale with 17 questions
    3. SPAN scale is sold by Multi-Health Systems, Inc
    4. Meltzer-Brody (2004) Obstet Gynecol 104:770-6 [PubMed]