Indiana Psychological Association News

PsychByte: Hormonal Contraception and Depression

Hormonal Contraception and Depression

A recent study published in JAMA Psychiatry (Skovlund, Mørch, Kessing, & Lidegaard, 2016) assessed whether the use of hormonal contraception is positively associated with subsequent use of antidepressants and a diagnosis of depression among women in Denmark.
 
Researchers analyzed the medical records of over one million healthy Danish women ages 15 to 34 and found women who had been prescribed any form of hormonal contraception between 1995 and 2013 were more likely to be later prescribed an antidepressant for the first time than those who had not, or to receive a formal diagnosis of depression from a psychiatric hospital.
 
This study provided some of the strongest empirical support for a link between hormonal contraception and depression treatment to date. However, it is important to keep the numbers in perspective. Fifty-five percent (55%) of the women in the study were current or recent users of hormonal birth control, but only about 12 percent (12%) of women overall were prescribed an antidepressant during the study period, and just 2 percent (2%) were officially diagnosed with depression. This likely means the absolute risk of depression from taking hormonal contraception, if it exists, is still fairly low.
 
Reference:
Skovlund, C.W., Mørch, L.S., Kessing, L.V., Lidegaard, Ø. (2016). Association of Hormonal Contraception with Depression. JAMA Psychiatry, 73 (11), 1154-1162.
 
Contributor:
Natalie Dattilo, PhD., HSPP
Priority Wellness Group, LLC

  "PsychBytes” is a weekly educational resource from the Indiana Psychological Association (IPA) provided for psychologists, their colleagues and their patients.