A weekly practice that could make a world of difference to your mental health

It is not surprising when someone becomes depressed after giving birth – or even before.

Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) affect the majority of new parents, and they can happen even if someone’s pregnancy and birth experience was wonderful.

Some PMADs are subtle and can be difficult to identify. New parents often wonder, Is this normal? – and sometimes, it’s really hard to tell.

There’s good news, though. There’s a simple tool that can help you determine when the stresses of pregnancy and postpartum definitely go beyond normal territory. And I recommend that all of my clients fill out one of these every week – starting in pregnancy!

A mental health tool for new parents

The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale is a quick, 10-second questionnaire that can help screen for PMADs. (To be clear, it doesn’t diagnose; but it helps you know if seeking a diagnosis would be a helpful next step.) You answer 10 questions, add up your score, and check your total number against the recommendations at the bottom.

Why I like the EPDS so much

1. It’s a great easy and fast way to check in with your mental health.
2. It’s been used for over 30 years and is the standard in the medical field: meaning, if you bring these scores to your midwife or OB/GYN, they’ll know how to interpret them.
3. It was developed for postpartum women, but it can be taken prenatally and by parents who aren’t pregnant (to help them monitor their own mental health too).
4. It’s freely available online.

But, there’s one extra instruction I always give about this tool: the questionnaire was written in Scotland (hence the “Edinburgh”), and one question is worded in a way that may be unfamiliar to folks who don’t live in Scotland. When the sheet asks you if things are getting “on top of” you, it means, “are to-do items piling up on you?” or “are you having trouble getting things done?”. Just keep that in mind when you fill it out.

How to use the EPDS

I encourage my clients to start filling out this little quiz every week, during pregnancy. This can help identify a prenatal PMAD. Even if it doesn’t, the data can help establish a baseline of what’s normal for someone before the baby is born (that a provider can then compare to data after the baby is born).

Then, I encourage clients to keep filling it out, each week, through the year after their child’s birth. Looking back over the weekly data you’ve collected can help you identify any changes in your mental health and can help you explain those changes to a medical care provider.

Want to check it out? Download the EPDS now!

Post photo by Emily Underworld on Unsplash