Screening for postpartum depression with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale in an indigent population: does a directed interview improve detection rates compared with the standard self-completed questionnaire?

Background. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is a well-validated screening tool for the detection of patients at risk for postpartum depression. It was postulated that screening utilizing the EPDS in a directed interview would increase the detection rate compared with a self-completed EPDS in an indigent population.Objective. To compare the results of a self-completed EPDS with those of a directed interview utilizing the EPDS in the identification of patients at increased risk for postpartum depression.Methods. All patients undergoing a 6-week postpartum evaluation in the obstetric clinic at a community teaching hospital between November 1, 2003 and March 31, 2004 were screened for postpartum depression using the self-completed EPDS. This was followed by a directed interview, which consisted of a verbally administered EPDS by a social worker blinded to the results of the self-completed EPDS. A positive screen was defined as an EPDS score of ≥12 by either method. The number of patients with ...