The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale is being used to screen a postpartum clinic population. Which total score threshold is conventionally taken to indicate probable depression?

• A Score of 7 or more
• B Score of 22 or more
• C Score of 18 or more
• D Score of 13 or more ✓

Explanation

The EPDS is a 10-item self-report scale scored 0 to 30, and a cut-off of 13 or more identifies probable postpartum depression in most validation studies; Indian guidelines also use this threshold. A score below 7 makes significant depression unlikely, while scores above 18 suggest severe depression needing urgent assessment rather than defining the screening threshold.

Reference: Kaplan and Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry, 12th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.