Postpartum Support International (PSI) recommends universal screening for the presence of prenatal or postpartum mood and anxiety disorders, using an evidence-based tool such as the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Screen (EPDS) or Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9).
Both the EPDS and the PHQ-9 are validated for use in the perinatal population, and there is no fee. The benefits are that they are self-administered, translated into many languages, and easy to complete. The EPDS addresses the anxiety component of PMADs as well as depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts. The PHQ-9 does not have the anxiety component but includes suicidal ideation. The PHQ-9 also incorporates the categories that define depression in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), which helps with diagnostic criteria. With anxiety being recognized as one of the presenting symptoms of PMADs it becomes important that it be assessed in the screening tool, making the EPDS the most widely used tool (“Screening for Perinatal Depression – ACOG,” 2015).