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      Screening for PPD

Screening for Postpartum Depression

Please mark the answer that comes closest to how you have felt overall during the past seven days, not just how you feel today. Select only one answer for each question.

  1. I have been able to laugh and see the funny side of things:




  2. I have looked forward with enjoyment to things:

    a. As much as I ever did.
    b. Rather less than I used to.
    c. Definitely less than I used to.
    d. Hardly at all.

  3. I have blamed myself unnecessarily when things went wrong:




  4. I have felt worried and anxious without a very good reason:




  5. I have felt scared or panicky without a very good reason:

    a. No, not at all.
    b. No, not much.
    c. Yes, sometimes.
    d. Yes, quite a lot.

  6. I have been feeling overwhelmed:

    a. No; I have been coping as well as ever.
    b. No; usually I have coped quite well.
    c. Yes; sometimes I haven't been coping as well as usual.
    d. Yes; most of the time I haven't been able to cope at all.

  7. I have had difficulty sleeping even when the baby is asleep:

    a. No, not at all
    b. Not very often.
    c. Yes, sometimes.
    d. Yes, most of the time.

  8. I have felt sad or miserable:

    a. No, not at all.
    b. Not very often.
    c. Yes, quite often.
    d. Yes, most of the time.

  9. I have been so unhappy that I have been crying, or fighting to keep from crying:

    a. No, never.
    b. Only occasionally.
    c. Yes, quite often.
    d. Yes, most of the time.

  10. The thought of harming either myself or my baby has occurred to me:

    a. Never.
    b. Hardly ever.
    c. Sometimes.
    d. Yes, quite often.

Results

Your total is:

      0 - 8 points: low probability of depression

      9 - 12 points: most likely just dealing with life with a new baby or a             case of "baby blues"; may indicate depression

      13 - 14 points: signs leading to the possibility of PPD; take preventive             measures

      15+ points: high probability of experiencing clinical postpartum             depression

 

EDINBURGH POSTNATAL DEPRESSION SCALE (EPDS)
J. L. Cox, J.M. Holden, R. Sagovsky
From: British Journal of Psychiatry (1987), 150, 782-786.
 
     
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