Are commonly used self-report inventories suitable for screening postpartum depression and anxiety disorders?

Objective: The utility of several self‐report symptom inventories were examined for detecting postpartum depression (MDD) and anxiety disorders (AD). Method: Fifty women (3 or 6 months postpartum), at heightened risk for MDD, completed several depression and anxiety symptom checklists. Psychiatric diagnoses were obtained via SCID interview. Results: Rates of MDD (n=9) and AD (n=9) were equivalent in this sample, with minimal diagnostic overlap. While all the self‐report depression inventories screened accurately for MDD, none discriminated AD sensitively and reliably. Conclusion: The frequent occurrence of AD emphasizes the need to identify appropriate screening instruments for postpartum anxiety disorders.