Oral contraceptive pills (OCP) have received increased critical attention recently owing to their perceived link with mental health, especially among adolescent girls. The empirical literature, however, includes mixed findings on whether OCP use is associated with poorer mental health.

To examine the association between the use of OCP and internalising problems in adolescent girls.

This study was embedded in the iBerry study, a population-based cohort of adolescents oversampled for behavioural and emotional problems from the greater Rotterdam area, The Netherlands. In 372 girls, internalising problems were measured using the Youth Self Report, and use of OCP was determined by parental interview and self-report questionnaire across two subsequent waves (mean ages 14.9 and 17.9 years, respectively). Multiple regression analyses were performed to determine the association. Analyses were adjusted for various sociodemographic factors and adjusted for previous internalising problems assessed at a mean age of 14.9 years.

In total, 204 girls (54.8%) used OCP. OCP use was associated with fewer internalising problems in adolescent girls compared with non-use (adjusted β = −2.22, 95% CI [−4.24, −0.20]; P = 0.031).

In this research, we found that adolescent girls using OCP reported fewer internalising problems compared with non-users. This association was most prominent for girls with pre-existing internalising problems. Although healthy user bias may have a role, our observations suggest a potential therapeutic benefit for those with greater baseline challenges.

Highly accessible youth initiatives worldwide aim to prevent worsening of mental health problems, but research into outcomes over time is scarce.

This study aimed to evaluate outcomes and support use in 12- to 25-year-old visitors of the @ease mental health walk-in centres, a Dutch initiative offering free counselling by trained and supervised peers.

Data of 754 visitors, collected 2018–2022, included psychological distress (Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation 10 (CORE-10)), social and occupational functioning (Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale (SOFAS)), school absenteeism and support use, analysed with change indicators (first to last visit), and mixed models (first three visits).

Among return visitors, 50.5% were female, 79.4% were in tertiary education and 36.9% were born outside of The Netherlands (one-time visitors: 64.7%, 72.9% and 41.3%, respectively). Moreover, 29.9% of return visitors presented with suicidal ideations, 97.1% had clinical psychological distress levels, and 64.1% of the latter had no support in the previous 3 months (one-time visitors: 27.2%, 90.7% and 71.1%, respectively). From visit 1 to 3, psychological distress decreased (β = −3.79, 95% CI −5.41 to −2.18; P < 0.001) and social and occupational functioning improved (β = 3.93, 95% CI 0.51–7.36; P = 0.025). Over an average 3.9 visits, 39.6% improved reliably and 28.0% improved clinically significantly on the SOFAS, which was 28.4% and 8.8%, respectively, on the CORE-10, where 43.2% improved in clinical category. Counselling satisfaction was rated 4.5/5.

Reductions in psychological distress, improvements in functioning and high counselling satisfaction were found among @ease visitors, forming a basis for future research with a control group.