A new article in the JAMA Psychiatry journal indicates that there is a more severe and outstanding correlation between the use of oral contraceptives and depression in women than once was believed.

In order to test the relation between oral contraceptives and depression in women, Dr. Øjvind Lidegaard, a professor at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, conducted a study following over a million female adolescents and adults. The study followed how many women who were on birth control eventually turned to antidepressants to cure their feelings of depression associated with the hormonal changes from oral contraceptives. According to the journal, it was a longitudinal study lasting from 2000 until 2013. Participants had no prior diagnosis of depression, had taken any medications for depression, or had any other psychiatric diagnosis in order to see if there was a direct effect between birth control and depression.

This is a correlation that users previously expected due to the nature of the hormones used in oral contraceptives. It has been evident that the moods of users has been altered through the use of artificial hormones, just like how fluctuating natural estrogen levels can affect one's mood. It is staggering, however, to notice such a correlation between a commonly used contraceptive method and an extremely debilitating psychiatric disorder as depression.

Not only was it discovered that many women are eventually diagnosed with depression following the use of oral contraceptives, but they are also even more likely to be prescribed an antidepressant in order to lessen the severity of the symptoms.

The most significant impact is that all women used in the study had no past indicators of depression or any other psychiatric disorder. This makes the findings of the study even more profound in the fact that birth control has truly altered their life in a way that they had not intended to.

No woman takes oral contraceptives with the idea that they may develop some sort of disorder on the depression spectrum. Most women are aware that these oral contraceptives have the power to alter their moods, but not to the point of depression. Moving forward, it will be intriguing to see what stand pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers will take on the side effects of oral contraceptives. Now that more women are aware of these effects, will there be a decrease in the overall use of oral contraceptives nationwide?