Emotional Well-Being

At Healthy Start we believe that your emotional well-being is just as important as your physical well-being. The birth of a child can affect your mood whether you are a male or a female. If you are feeling sad or depressed, or have lost interest in things you used to enjoy, it is possible that you have the kind of depression that occurs around the time of childbirth. This kind of depression is more common than you may think and it is also an illness that can be treated. Therefore, it is not necessary to suffer with it. Ignoring depression can harm you, your unborn baby, and children you may already have.

If you would like help in recognizing some of the physical and emotional changes you may be experiencing, please fill out one of the two questionnaires available on this website. One is the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale for women to use and the other is the PHQ-9 for men. These questionnaires will not diagnose you with a particular illness, but you may want to speak with a health care provider about the results.

To maintain your confidentiality your answers to the questionnaires are not stored and will only be seen by you.