Free Postpartum Depression Test (EPDS)

The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale is a 10-question screening questionnaire built for the period after childbirth. It was published in 1987 by Cox, Holden, and Sagovsky and is widely used in pregnancy and postpartum care. Each answer scores 0 to 3, for a total of 0 to 30. Some items are reverse-scored, so the first answer isn't always the lowest score. The test above scores this for you, in your browser — your answers are never stored or sent anywhere.

This page is for the months around a new baby. For depression at any other time of life, our general depression test uses the PHQ-9.

A score of 0 to 9 is below the screening cutoff. A score of 10 to 12 suggests possible depression, and 13 to 30 suggests probable depression. In the original study, 13 or more identified mothers likely to have a depressive illness; the lower cutoff of 10 is used so fewer cases are missed. Either way, the number is a starting point for a conversation with a clinician, not a diagnosis.

Question 10 is read on its own. Any answer other than 'Never' to 'The thought of harming myself has occurred to me' needs attention right away, whatever your total score. Call or text 988 to reach the free, 24/7 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or call 911 if you are in immediate danger.

General depression questionnaires like the PHQ-9 ask about sleep, energy, and appetite. In the weeks after a birth, those change for almost everyone, so they don't say much about depression. The EPDS leaves them out and asks about mood, enjoyment, self-blame, anxiety, panic, and coping instead. Its sleep question asks whether you've been too unhappy to sleep, not just whether you're sleeping. It also asks about worry and panic, which often show up alongside postpartum depression.

The baby blues are mood swings, tearfulness, and worry in the first days after birth that usually fade within about two weeks. Postpartum depression lasts longer, feels heavier, and gets in the way of caring for yourself or your baby. It can start any time in the first year. If your low mood hasn't lifted after two weeks, or your EPDS score is 10 or higher, it's time to talk to someone.

If your score is 10 or higher, the next step is an evaluation with a licensed psychiatric provider — a psychiatrist (MD/DO), psychiatric nurse practitioner, or physician assistant. At Anywhere Clinic, the first video visit takes about 30 to 40 minutes. Your provider reviews your symptoms, your pregnancy and birth, your sleep, and your health history, then builds a plan with you. That plan may include therapy with a licensed therapist, medication when clinically appropriate, including what fits with breastfeeding, or both. Prescriptions are never guaranteed.

Learn more about postpartum depression treatment, planning ahead with family and pregnancy planning mental health care, or mood changes later in life with perimenopause and hormonal mental health. For depression unrelated to pregnancy, see depression treatment online.