Postpartum depression screening tool

How do doctors screen for postpartum depression? What to look for in postpartum depression? When to screen for postpartum depression? Is anger a sign of postpartum depression? Postnatal Depression Scale ( EPDS ) is a valuable and effici ent way of identifying patients at risk for “perinatal” depression.

To find postpartum depression screening tools for use by healthcare providers, please click this link. It will take you outside of our website to the MedEdPPD website, a project funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. For more in-depth information, including algorithms. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends screening for postpartum depression (PPD) with a validated tool , which may reduce the duration or severity of depressive symptoms.

Using a validated tool. ACOG recommends using a validated screening tool. Other screening tools have been used to screen for postpartum depression. The PDSS has a range of scores from to 175.

This is a 10-item, assessment tool that is valid and reliable for detecting postpartum depression. This screening tool is user-friendly, easy to administer and easy to score. Several screening instruments have been validated for use during pregnancy and the postpartum period to assist with systematically identifying patients with perinatal depression (Table 1). Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) This item self-report questionnaire can also be readily found. Center for Epidemiological Studies—Depression Scale.

Overall, the sensitivity and the specificity of the screening tools were determined. The PHQ-had a reported sensitivity range of to 1. It had the highest sensitivity of all the screening tools. SCREENING FOR PRENATAL AND POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION Valid screening tools are available. The three self-assessment tools described in Figure are easy to use.

Two of the assessments are available in Spanish (the CES-D and EPDS). The statements can be read to women who have difficulty reading. Ukatu N(1), Clare CA(2), Brulja M(3).

Author information: (1)School of Medicine, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY. Postpartum Depression Screening Tools: A Review. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY. It does not diagnose depression.

Diagnosis can only be done by a licensed healthcare professional. If you feel that you might be suffering from perinatal depression , it could be helpful to complete this interactive quiz and share the with your health care provider. Users may reproduce the scale without permission providing the copyright is respected by quoting the names of the authors, title and the source of the paper in all reproduced copies. The EPDS is only a screening tool.

Poor validity for postpartum women on existing depression scales, such as the Anxiety and Depression Scale, prompted Cox and colleagues to develop the EPDS, a specialized 10-question screening tool 1. Since one half of postpartum depression begins during pregnancy, and women with a personal or family history of depression are at increased risk, the prenatal period is an ideal time for screening and prevention, which may be done easily with maternal depression screening instruments.