Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Score Calculator

• This is a self-report questionnaire which is both easy to complete and acceptable to the mother.
• Evidence from a number of research studies has confirmed the tool to be both reliable and sensitive in detecting depression and it has been validated for use in the community.^1,2,3
• New mothers usually complete it 6-8 weeks post partum.
• A score of 11-12/30 has a sensitivity of 76.7% and specificity of 92.5% for depression.
• It should be confirmed by interview and mental state examination.

A calculator may be derived from Cox JL, Holden JM, Sagovsky R; Detection of postnatal depression. Development of the 10-item Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Br J Psychiatry. 1987 Jun;150:782-6. Users may reproduce the scale without further permission, "providing they respect copyright by quoting the names of the authors, the title, and the source of the paper in all reproduced copies".

1. Cox JL, Holden JM, Sagovsky R; Detection of postnatal depression. Development of the 10-item Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Br J Psychiatry. 1987 Jun;150:782-6. [abstract]
2. Warner R, Appleby L, Whitton A, et al; Demographic and obstetric risk factors for postnatal psychiatric morbidity. Br J Psychiatry. 1996 May;168(5):607-11. [abstract]
3. Murray L, Carothers AD; The validation of the Edinburgh Post-natal Depression Scale on a community sample. Br J Psychiatry. 1990 Aug;157:288-90. [abstract]