Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)

The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale is a 10-item self-report screening questionnaire developed by John Cox, Jeni Holden, and Ruth Sagovsky in 1987 to identify postnatal depression in new mothers. Published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, the EPDS specifically addresses depressive symptoms common in the postpartum period, avoiding items that might confound with normal pregnancy or postpartum adjustment (e.g., sleep disturbance from infant care). It is widely endorsed by obstetric and midwifery organizations, freely available, and used globally as the standard for perinatal depression screening.