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PTSD Treatment Decision AidPTSD Treatment Decision Aid

About this tool and your privacy

You may be wondering more about this tool, and how your information is being used.

Is my information private?

Yes, it is. The PTSD Treatment Decision Aid is made so that the information you enter into the tool is avalaible as you move through the decision aid. Once you have closed the decision aid, this information is deleted. That's why we give you the option to print or save your personal summary. None of the information you enter will be stored or shared.

Some anonymous information is collected automatically, however. For example, the date and time of your visit, the operating system you used to access the site, and the Internet domain from which you connected to the PTSD Treatment Decision Aid are all collected automatically. This information is used only to help us make the site better for visitors. It is not used to identify you personally. Please see the VA privacy policy for a list of information that is collected automatically.

Developers

The content for the PTSD Treatment Decision Aid was developed by a team at the Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD with expertise in PTSD treatment, mental health, and shared decision-making. The developers of the PTSD Treatment Decision Aid and their affiliated institutions do not stand to gain or lose anything based on the choices people make after using the decision aid.

Acknowledgements

The PTSD Treatment Decision Aid has gone through several revisions, with each revision led by psychologists and educational specialists at the National Center for PTSD. Input has been gathered from two national surveys of Veterans and civilians with PTSD, along with interviews with patients, Veterans, and clinicians. We would also like to thank many clinicians and Veterans for contributing to the videos in this decision aid.

Disclaimer

The PTSD Treatment Decision Aid is not a substitute for medical care or advice from a clinician. Only a licensed professional can diagnose PTSD. The National Center for PTSD does not provide direct clinical care.

Target audience

The PTSD Treatment Decision Aid was developed for use by people who have been diagnosed with PTSD, those who suspect they may have PTSD, and family and friends of loved ones with PTSD symptoms. The decision aid, except for content specific to clinicians, has an overall Flesch-Kincaid readability score of 7.7.

Release date

The initial version of the PTSD Treatment Decision Aid was released in April 2017 and updated in June 2017 to reflect changes to the 2017 PTSD Clinical Practice Guideline published by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense. A substantially updated version was released in August 2025 to reflect the updated 2023 VA/DoD PTSD Clinical Practice Guideline.

Comments?

If you would like to provide feedback on the decision aid, please contact NCPTSD@va.gov

Create your plan

Through a series of questions about PTSD, your preferences, and your goals, you can design a treatment plan that is right for you. You will be able to save your plan and talk more about the options with your clinician.

Create your plan

Welcome to the PTSD Treatment Decision Aid.

The PTSD Treatment Decision Aid saves the information you input for this browsing session only. Once you close the browser window, your information may be erased. Please print or save your plan.