Screening instruments such as the EPDS provide a tool to identify women who are
depressed, but can also be used as a starting point for discussions about the mothers'
psychological condition. The EPDS is easy to score and easy for the mothers to complete,
and health professionals identify postnatal depression more frequently using the tool.
Information and support may have a preventive effect on postnatal depression in women.
Flexible, individualized postnatal care that is provided by a professional and that
incorporates postnatal depression screening tools appears to be promising to prevent
postnatal depression in women. Increased focus on mother’s mental health during the first
year postpartum also seems to have preventive effects on postnatal depression and
parenting stress in women.
In several countries, the circumstances for following up postpartum women are satisfactory,
and in many countries mothers receive a home visit by a midwife, health visitor or public
health nurse after birth. In these countries, almost all women who have given birth have
frequent contact with well-baby clinics or health centres during the first year of the child’s
life. It is important to be aware of the new cases of women likely to be suffering from
postnatal depression in the first year postpartum, as depression is strongly related to
parenting stress. Trained health practitioners have the opportunity to identify and treat
postnatal depression in women, which can improve the quality of the services provided. If
additional training of health practitioners and information to the parents at the home visit
can improve the quality of the services and provide support to the parents, this would seem
to be a worthwhile investment. The prevention and treatment of postnatal depression could
make a significant difference in women’s lives and the lives of their children and families.