Journal of affective disorders
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Perinatal non-psychotic common mental disorders (PCMDs) are less well recognised in men than in women. However, there are adverse consequences of PCMD for men, their partners and their infants. There is a need for simple, readily administered screening tools for use in research and primary health care for men, including in low income settings. The aim of this study was to validate three scales for screening PCMDs in men in northern Vietnam. ⋯ PCMDs in men are an unrecognised public health problem in northern Vietnam. Overall the cut off scores to detect clinically significant symptoms are lower than those reported in high income settings. Cut off scores on the EPDS and Zung SAS are slightly higher in men than in women in northern Vietnam, but these scales are suitable for use with men in this setting. Although not suitable to detect PCMD in women, the GHQ-12 is suitable to detect PCMD in men.