Mood and interest
Low mood, hopelessness, and loss of interest remain important even when life is exhausting.
Perinatal clinical screening tool
Postpartum Depression Screen (PHQ-9)
Check depressive symptoms during the postpartum period with the 9-item PHQ-9. Your score, severity range, safety guidance, and postpartum-specific next steps are free. This is not a diagnosis.
What this doesFocused self-checkTimeAbout 2–4 minutesPrivacyNo signupResultFree full result
Free full result9 itemsAbout 2–4 minutesPostpartum adults 18+No signup
Full basic result · no account · no email · full basic result is free
Useful before signupSee the complete basic result first.
Method visiblePHQ-9 standard scoring; total 0–27.
Private by defaultAnswers stay in this browser tab while you complete the assessment.
Instrument registrySee evidence, rights and limitations →What you will do
Answer nine symptom questions, then one question about daily-life impact.
The validated PHQ-9 score is interpreted with postpartum-specific limitations and next steps, and the standard unscored difficulty question adds useful context about day-to-day functioning. That matters because physical recovery and infant care can overlap with some depression symptoms.
- There are 9 scored symptom questions plus one unscored functional-impact question.
- Your score, severity range, safety guidance, and postpartum-specific next steps are free.
- A positive score does not by itself diagnose postpartum depression.
- The PHQ-9 does not screen for postpartum psychosis; severe confusion, hallucinations, delusions, or immediate danger need urgent assessment.
Why postpartum context matters
The score is familiar; the interpretation should not be generic.
PHQ-9 asks about depression symptoms over the previous 2 weeks. In the postpartum period, several symptoms can overlap with physical recovery, feeding schedules, fragmented sleep, pain, thyroid problems, anemia, medication effects, or the demands of caring for a newborn.
Body and energy
Sleep, appetite, fatigue, and movement changes need interpretation alongside postpartum recovery and medical factors.
Thinking and safety
Concentration, self-worth, and thoughts of death or self-harm require careful follow-up rather than being dismissed as ordinary stress.
Scoring and interpretation
The established PHQ-9 ranges still apply.
Responses are scored 0 for Not at all, 1 for Several days, 2 for More than half the days, and 3 for Nearly every day. The nine scores are summed.
0–4
None–minimal symptom range.
5–9
Mild symptom range.
10–14
Moderate symptom range.
15–19
Moderately severe symptom range.
20–27
Severe symptom range.
Safety item
Any response above “Not at all” to the death/self-harm item needs appropriate follow-up; it is not a complete suicide-risk assessment.
Not the same as EPDS
This build intentionally uses PHQ-9.
The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale is widely used, but DesperateMinds has not documented the online/commercial reproduction basis needed for this project. ACOG also includes PHQ-9 for perinatal depression screening, so the product can move forward without weakening the rights gate.
A meta-analysis found PHQ-9 screening performance for perinatal depression was similar to EPDS in head-to-head studies.
Urgent postpartum symptoms
Some symptoms need urgent care even if the PHQ-9 score is not high.
The PHQ-9 does not detect postpartum psychosis. Severe confusion, hallucinations, delusions, extreme agitation, markedly reduced need for sleep with unusual energy, or thoughts of harming yourself or your baby require urgent professional assessment.
Sources and instrument governance
Why PHQ-9 is a defensible postpartum screening choice.
- ACOG — perinatal mental-health screening toolkit and PHQ-9/EPDS options
- Wang et al. — systematic review and meta-analysis of PHQ-9 for perinatal depression
- PHQ Screeners — official PHQ source
- Pfizer FAQ — PHQ access and permission process
This is a postpartum-context implementation of the standard PHQ-9 plus its unscored functional-impact question, not an EPDS adaptation. Production release still requires independent clinical review of wording, safety behavior, perinatal care guidance, privacy, and current source terms.
Frequently asked questions
Before you take a postpartum depression screen
Is PHQ-9 valid for postpartum depression screening?
Yes. ACOG includes PHQ-9 as a perinatal depression screening option, and systematic-review evidence supports its validity in pregnancy and postpartum populations.
Why not use EPDS here?
EPDS remains a strong instrument, but this project has not yet documented the online/commercial reproduction rights needed to publish it. PHQ-9 provides a validated alternative without lowering that standard.
What if I have frightening thoughts, hallucinations, or feel unsafe?
Do not rely on this score. Use urgent professional or emergency support, especially if you may act on self-harm thoughts, are severely confused, have hallucinations or delusions, or there is danger to you or your baby.
!
Postpartum mental-health emergencies need urgent assessment.
If you may harm yourself or your baby, cannot stay safe, are severely confused, or are experiencing hallucinations or delusions, seek urgent in-person help now. In the U.S., call or text 988 for crisis support and call 911 for a life-threatening emergency.
Read before or after the screen
These educational guides explain the surrounding clinical concepts. They do not replace diagnosis or professional assessment.
Postpartum interpretation
A postpartum depression score needs the context of recovery, sleep, safety and mood history
The PHQ-9 measures depressive symptoms, but postpartum interpretation should not be reduced to a total. Physical recovery, feeding demands and interrupted sleep can affect some symptoms, while persistent hopelessness, loss of interest, severe anxiety, impaired functioning or safety concerns may require prompt professional attention.
| Context | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Baby blues vs persistent symptoms | Short-lived emotional changes and more sustained depressive symptoms need different levels of follow-up. |
| Prior mood history | Past depression or bipolar disorder can be relevant to evaluation and treatment planning. |
| Safety | Self-harm thoughts, thoughts of harming the baby, severe confusion or psychotic symptoms require urgent assessment. |
Use the screen to support a conversation with a qualified healthcare professional, not to judge parenting ability. See the postpartum depression hub and postpartum depression vs baby blues.