The Use of Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale to Identify Postnatal Depression Symptoms at Well Child Visit

Background Postnatal depression (PD) is the most common disorder following childbirth and a social problem for public welfare: ten to fteen women out of one hundred suffer from this disorder [1]. PD is a severe condition that has been described as “a thief who steals maternity”; up to 50% of the cases are diagnosed, and approximately 49% of women who seek help feel desperately depressed [2]. If untreated, a large number of these mothers continue to be depressed until the end of the rst and the second postnatal years.