Abstract:
Post partum depression (PPD) is a serious mental
health condition that has severe acute and chronic
effects on mothers, infants, their families and society.
In contrary to general reported prevalence of 10-20% in
western countries, PPD has been shown to affect up to
60% of mothers in some communities [1]. Despite having
valid tools for screening, PPD is often under diagnosed,
especially in developing countries [2]. In Sri Lanka, a
national estimate for PPD is not available. However,
Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), which
is the most widely accepted tool for screening of PPD
was validated and used in a large scale study in Puttalam
district in 2004. According to this study, the prevalence
of postpartum depression was 32.1% in Puttalam [3].
The purpose of the present study was to estimate the
national prevalence of PPD in Sri Lanka.
