EPDS Calculator

The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, commonly shortened to EPDS, is a ten-item self-report screening questionnaire for emotional distress during pregnancy and after birth. It asks about experiences during the previous seven days, including enjoyment, self-blame, anxiety, panic, coping, sleep difficulty related to unhappiness, sadness, crying, and thoughts of self-harm. Each response scores from zero to three, producing a total from zero to thirty. This calculator presents response choices in scoring order, so the first option is zero and the fourth option is three. That ordering preserves the official reverse scoring used by the positively worded first two questions while making the calculation transparent. A higher total indicates a greater likelihood that further assessment is appropriate, but no single score proves or excludes depression. Thresholds vary by country, setting, timing, language version, and the purpose of screening. The interpretation shown here uses broad planning bands. Scores below ten are displayed as a lower range, scores from ten through twelve as possible depression, and scores of thirteen or more as elevated. Health systems may use different referral thresholds. Symptoms can be clinically important below any cutoff, particularly when they are persistent, worsening, interfering with sleep or functioning, or accompanied by severe anxiety, intrusive thoughts, mania, psychosis, or concerns about parent or infant safety. Question ten requires separate attention regardless of the total. Any response other than never indicates that self-harm thoughts have occurred and should lead to prompt direct safety assessment by a qualified professional. If someone may act on those thoughts, cannot stay safe, or faces immediate danger, local emergency services or an available crisis service should be contacted now. The calculator cannot monitor safety or contact help. The EPDS is designed for screening and follow-up, not diagnosis. A clinician considers the score together with an interview, medical history, social support, sleep, substance use, physical health, trauma, and other mental health conditions. Partners and support people can help with practical care and encourage timely professional contact. Answer honestly based on the last seven days, then save or share the result with a midwife, obstetric clinician, primary-care professional, or mental-health specialist.