Women's views of being screened for postnatal depression

Routine use of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) as part of the assessment process for postnatal depression (PND) has been widely implemented in England. However, the views of the women being assessed are only now becoming known. The paper reports on a study aimed at exploring women's views of being screened for PND. Interviews were undertaken with 15 recent mothers who had been screened for PND. Participants included those with both high and low scores on the EPDS. Although mothers were generally positive about screening there were a number of issues which caused some concern. These related to the process of screening, the instrument itself and the lack of information provided to the women. A major concern related to being identified as having PND and the consequences. A number of simple measures were identified around the provision of information which, if implemented in current practice, could improve the acceptability of screening for PND. We believe that, by ensuring these simple provisos are met, screening for PND using the EPDS could be seen as beneficial to a large proportion of women and acceptable even to those who are not troubled by symptoms.