PDS

The Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS) is a 49-item self-report measure developed by Edna Foa to assess PTSD symptoms and functional impairment according to DSM-IV criteria. It covers all three DSM-IV symptom clusters (re-experiencing, avoidance/numbing, hyperarousal) with 17 symptom severity items rated on a 0–3 scale (0 = not at all, 3 = five or more times per week / almost always). The symptom severity score ranges from 0 to 51. The PDS also assesses trauma history, identifies the index trauma, and evaluates functional impairment across nine life domains. The PDS-5 is an updated version aligned with DSM-5 criteria. In psychedelic research, the PDS has been used alongside the CAPS as a self-report complement for measuring PTSD symptom change, particularly in MDMA-assisted therapy studies.