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Hormonal Contraceptives Tied to Suicide

Women who use hormonal contraceptives are at increased risk for suicide attempt and suicide. The highest relative risk is seen in adolescent women, a large Danish study indicates. The study was published online November 17 in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Heightened Early Risk

In a previous Danish nationwide prospective cohort study in women and female adolescents, the researchers found an association between use of hormonal contraception and depression, as reported by Medscape Medical News. The association was most pronounced among adolescents. In the current study, the investigators followed a complete national cohort of women aged 15 years and older to assess daily use of hormonal contraception and the risk for a subsequent first suicide attempt or suicide.

Nearly half a million women were followed on average for 8.3 years (3.9 million person-years). The mean age of the participants was 21 years; 6999 first suicide attempts and 71 suicides were identified. The relative risk for first suicide attempt and suicide was found to be increased among those who currently used hormonal contraceptives or who had used them recently, in comparison with women who had never used them.

Adolescents were more sensitive than older women to the influence of hormonal contraception on risk for first suicide attempt.

Bron

Association of Hormonal Contraception With Suicide Attempts and Suicides
Charlotte Wessel Skovlund, Lina Steinrud Mørch, Lars Vedel Kessing, Theis Lange, Øjvind Lidegaard.
Am J Psychiatry 2017