Depression in pregnancy and postnatal: self-test - Self-test - In pregnancy & postnatal - Depression

Please select the answer that is the closest to how you have felt in the PAST SEVEN DAYS.

	As much as I always could	Not quite as much now	Definitely not so much now	Not at all
I have been able to laugh and see the funny side of things	As much as I always could	Not quite as much now	Definitely not so much now	Not at all
I have looked forward with enjoyment to things	As much as I ever did	Rather less than I used to	Definitely less than I used to	Hardly at all
I have blamed myself unnecessarily when things went wrong	Yes, most of the time	Yes, some of the time	Not very often	No, never
I have been anxious or worried for no good reason	No, not at all	Hardly ever	Yes, sometimes	Yes, very often
I have felt scared or panicky for no very good reason	Yes, quite a lot	Yes, sometimes	No, not much	No, not at all
Things have been getting on top of me	Yes, most of the time I haven't been able to cope at all	Yes, sometimes I haven't been coping as well as usual	No, most of the time I have coped quite well	No, I have been coping as well as ever
I have been so unhappy that I have had difficulty sleeping	Yes, most of the time	Yes, sometimes	Not very often	No, not at all
I have felt sad or miserable	Yes, most of the time	Yes, quite often	Not very often	No, not at all
I have been so unhappy that I have been crying	Yes, most of the time	Yes, quite often	Only occasionally	No, never
The thought of harming myself has occurred to me	Yes, quite often	Sometimes	Hardly ever	Never

Score:

If you have had ANY thoughts of harming yourself, please tell your GP or your midwife today.

If you would like to take a copy of the test to your GP, please use this Print Version (scoring instructions included) [PDF, 186KB]

Please note that this self-test is not intended to be a substitute for professional clinical advice. You should always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with any questions you might have regarding their health.

This test is called the Edinburgh Depression Scale (Murray and Cox, 1990) and is also referred to as the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (Cox, Holden and Sagovsky, 1987) when used in the postnatal period.

Results

0 - 9
Scores in this range may indicate the presence of some symptoms of distress that may be short-lived and are not likely to interfere with day to day ability to function at home or at work. However if these symptoms have persisted for more than a week or two it would be wise to seek advice from a qualified health provider to find out the cause.

10 - 12
Scores within this range indicate the presence of symptoms of distress that may be discomforting. We suggest that you repeat the test in 1- 2 weeks time. If you receive the same or a higher score you should consult your general practitioner about those symptoms or ask your health provider to refer you to a mental health specialist.

13+
Scores above 12 require further evaluation and possible referral to a perinatal mental health specialist.

If you have had ANY thoughts of harming yourself, please tell your GP or your midwife today.

For further information

Treatments for depression: pregnancy and postnatal

Resources: pregnancy and postnatal

Page last updated: 18-Jun-2010

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Self-test for depression in pregnancy and postnatal

Results