(Eve Epker/ Forbes) — “I have felt scared or panicky for no good reason”, “Things have been getting to me”, “I have felt sad or miserable”. These questions are all part of the 10-question Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, or EPDS. First developed in 1987, EPDS – one of the most widely used screening tools for postpartum mood disorders – asks mothers to rate their level of agreement with ten statements, such as the ones above, on a scale from zero to three. Mothers with a collective score above 12 or 13 are likely to be suffering from postpartum depression.
If left undiagnosed and untreated, postpartum depression, which differs from the baby blues in length and severity, can negatively affect the mother, her husband or partner, and her baby. In fact, postpartum depression contributes to higher rates of suicide after childbirth – and suicide itself is a leading cause of maternal death in the first year following childbirth. Tests like EPDS, while not diagnostics themselves, can help healthcare professionals identify mothers who may be suffering. Currently, an estimated 10 to 20% of mothers experience postpartum depression, and less than 20% of them receive treatment.
Mothers aren’t the only ones who are experiencing depression, however. A Gallup poll in May of this year found that 29% of US adults, across genders, reported that they were diagnosed with depression at some point in their lives while 17.8% say they are currently depressed and/or receiving treatment for depression. (…)