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The Oral Contraceptive Pill and Adolescents' Mental Health

Author

Listed:
  • Costa-Ramon, Ana
  • Daysal, Meltem
  • Rodríguez-González, Ana

Abstract

What is the impact of the oral contraceptive pill on the mental health of adolescent girls? Using administrative data from Denmark and exploiting the variation in the timing of pill initiation in an event study design, we find that the likelihood of a depression diagnosis and antidepressant use increases shortly after pill initiation. We then uncover substantial variation in primary care providers' tendency to prescribe the pill to adolescents, unrelated to patient characteristics. Being assigned to a high prescribing physician strongly predicts pill use by age 16 and leads to worse mental health outcomes between ages 16-18.

Suggested Citation

  • Costa-Ramon, Ana & Daysal, Meltem & Rodríguez-González, Ana, 2023. "The Oral Contraceptive Pill and Adolescents' Mental Health," CEPR Discussion Papers 18269, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:18269
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    Cited by:

    1. is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Bhalotra, Sonia R. & Daysal, N. Meltem & Trandafir, Mircea, 2025. "Antidepressant Treatment in Childhood," IZA Discussion Papers 18069, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Sonia Bhalotra & N. Meltem Daysal & Mircea Trandafir, 2025. "Antidepressant Treatment in Childhood," RFBerlin Discussion Paper Series 2590, ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin (RFBerlin).

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth

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