Description
With the new Postpartum Depression Screening Scale (PDSS), clinicians can identify mothers suffering from postpartum depression early and easily. This 35-item is used as a brief screening device, it identifies women who are at high risk for postpartum depression so that health care professionals can then refer them for definitive diagnosis and treatment. Written at a third-grade reading level, PDSS items are brief and easy to understand. Mothers respond using a 5-point scale ranging from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.” The test yields an overall severity score falling into one of three ranges:
Normal adjustment, Significant symptoms of postpartum depression and Positive screen for major postpartum depression.
