According to the NHS Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing 2023/24 (one of the most comprehensive mental health surveys in the country) fewer than 19% of people showing signs of PTSD and C-PTSD have ever been diagnosed by a professional.

That means right now, today, more than 8 in 10 people living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or C-PTSD symptoms don't know what's wrong with them. They haven't been told. Nobody has joined the dots. They're just… living with it. Getting through each day as best they can, often with no idea that what they're experiencing has a name - or that things could be different.

Why don't people get diagnosed?

It's not always that people aren't trying to get help. It's that PTSD and C-PTSD are  easy to miss - even by the people experiencing them. The condition doesn't always look the way people expect. Not everyone has flashbacks. Not everyone is visibly distressed. For a lot of people, it shows up quietly - as exhaustion that never lifts, a feeling of being disconnected from everything, memories that surface at the wrong moments, or a constant low-level sense that something is off. After a while, that starts to feel like just how life is. Like just who you are now.

Some people have been to their GP and been told it's depression, or anxiety, or stress. Which it might also be - but the trauma underneath goes unrecognised and untreated. 

Some people are too exhausted or too scared to push for answers. Avoidance is one of the core features of PTSD and C-PTSD - so the idea of sitting in a room and talking about what happened can feel impossible, even when part of you knows you need to.

And some people simply don't know that treatment exists or that recovery is possible, so they don't see a reason to try to get support.

The 19 Challenge.

We need to do something about that number. So we've created something that people can get involved in. Something that would get people talking - because the more people understand that this diagnosis gap exists, the more chance we have of closing it.

The 19 Challenge is 19 press-ups a day for 19 days. That's it. And the reason it's 19 is the whole point - because every time someone watches your video and asks "why 19?", you get to tell them. That conversation IS the awareness. That moment of someone learning that 81% of people with PTSD and C-PTSD are undiagnosed - that's exactly what we're trying to create, over and over, across as many feeds and timelines and kitchen tables as possible.

Film yourself, share it, tag us, use #The19Challenge, and nominate a few friends to take it on next. Simple as that.

And if press-ups aren't your thing, don't worry. 19 squats, 19 minutes of walking, 19 star jumps, 19 deep breaths. Whatever works for your body and your life. We mean it when we say your 19, your way. PTSD and C-PTSD affect people of every age and ability, and this challenge should reflect that. There's no hierarchy here.

Why we're asking you to fundraise too

PTSD UK is a very small charity. We're not one of the big names with huge reserves and a team of hundreds. We're a small, dedicated group of people who care enormously about making sure that anyone affected by PTSD and C-PTSD can find the information and support they need.

Every resource we create, every guide we publish, every piece of content that helps someone understand what they're going through costs money to make and keep live. And we rely on people like you to help us keep going.

When you fundraise through The 19 Challenge, your money goes directly towards that. Keeping resources free. Reaching more people. Making sure that when someone starts searching for answers, we're there.

For a small charity, small donations genuinely make a meaningful difference. A few pounds keeps a resource live. A little more helps us reach someone who needs us. It really does add up and it really does matter.

If you can donate, thank you. If you can share, that helps enormously too. And if you want to take on the challenge yourself, we'd love to have you alongside us.

To get involved

No formal sign-up needed. Start when you're ready, do your 19 your way for 19 days, film it, share it on social media, tag PTSD UK and use #The19Challenge. Nominate a few friends to keep the wave going. And if you'd like to fundraise, set up a JustGiving page and link it to our campaign so your donations join the collective total - Simply click 'start fundraising' ---------->

Help us change what 19% means

We're a small charity. We're asking people to do something small. But the difference it could make to the people living with something they don't yet have a name for is anything but.

Are you in?

Simply click 'start fundraising' ---------->

#The19Challenge