Your GP should be able to diagnose postnatal depression by asking two questions:

• During the past month, have you often been bothered by feeling down, depressed or hopeless?
• During the past month, have you often been bothered by taking little or no pleasure in doing things that normally make you happy?

If the answer to either of these is yes, then it is possible you have postnatal depression. If the answer is yes to both, postnatal depression is probable.

Depending on your answers, you may also be asked whether you feel you need or want help.

Some mothers, especially those without a partner or relative to help care for their baby, can be reluctant to provide honest answers to these questions. This is because some worry that a diagnosis of postnatal depression will mean they are seen as a bad mother and that there is a chance their baby will be taken into care.

It should be stressed that a baby will only be taken into care in the most exceptional of circumstances. One of the prime goals of treatment of postnatal depression is to help you care for and bond with your baby.

Even if symptoms of your postnatal depression are so severe you require treatment at a mental health clinic, specialist mother and baby clinics are available.

Other tests

Sometimes, your GP may carry out a blood test to make sure there is not a physical reason for symptoms like tiredness and low mood, such as an underactive thyroid gland or anaemia (lack of red blood cells which can lead to tiredness). These conditions often occur after having a baby.

Sometimes your GP or health visitor may ask you to complete a questionnaire, such as the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). This can help assess your situation by focusing on certain symptoms and difficulties commonly encountered in postnatal depression. It can also help to track your response to treatment as you get better.

Assessing the severity of postnatal depression

If your GP suspects postnatal depression, they will want to know your symptoms so they can assess how severe it is.

They will want to know if you have:

• disturbed sleep
• problems concentrating or making decisions
• low self-confidence
• a loss of appetite or increased appetite (comfort eating is often a symptom of depression)
• been feeling anxious
• been feeling tired, listless and reluctant to undertake physical activity
• been feeling guilty or self-critical
• been experiencing suicidal thoughts

Honesty is important when answering these questions as providing your GP with accurate information will ensure you receive appropriate treatment.

If you have three of the above symptoms, it is likely you have mild depression.

If you have five or six symptoms, it is likely you have moderate depression. People with moderate depression will have great difficulty carrying out normal activities.

The number of symptoms you have in total, and above all their severity and persistence, will help your doctor decide whether your depression is mild, moderate or severe.

If you have all of the above symptoms, it is likely you have severe depression. People with severe depression are unable to function at all, and almost always need help from a dedicated mental health team.

Blood test

During a blood test, a sample of blood is taken from a vein using a needle, so it can be examined in a laboratory.

Depressed

Depression is when you have feelings of extreme sadness, despair or inadequacy that last for a long time.

Thyroid

The thyroid is a jointed piece or cartilage that encloses the vocal cords and forms the Adam’s apple in men.