COULD weight loss jabs banish the blues, as well as bellies? So seems to suggest new research, which showed the blockbuster drugs could ease symptoms of depression and schizophrenia.
Patients with schizophrenia were less likely to be admitted to hospital or require emergency care for a while taking GLP-1s, found the study published to the journal The Lancet Psychiatry .
The link was strongest in patients who lost weight.
But jab users were also less likely to require emergency psychiatric care if their weight remained stable or they gained a few pounds.
This suggests the mental health benefits of weight loss injections may not be driven by weight loss alone, the Australian research team said.
Schizophrenia is a mental health condition that can cause delusions, hallucinations and disorganised thinking, among other symptoms.
The complex, lifelong condition – which affects one in 100 people in the UK – can be tricky to treat.
“Many individuals with schizophrenia have persistent psychotic symptoms despite antipsychotic treatment,” noted the study authors, led by Dr Najmeh Davoodian, an associate research fellow at Deakin University.
The condition has been linked to a higher risk of developing type 2 – as have the that treat it.
That’s because antipsychotic treatment can cause weight gain, insulin resistance and other side effects that could fuel the development of diabetes.
“These adverse effects can reduce adherence to antipsychotic treatment, limit optimal antipsychotic use, and thereby indirectly contribute to relapse and psychiatric service utilisation,” researchers said.
“Interventions that simultaneously address metabolic dysfunction and psychiatric stability therefore have potential compound value.”
This is where weight loss injections come in.
The drugs are licensed to treat and type 2 diabetes, but researchers wanted to test whether they might additionally benefit people with schizophrenia.
Their research reviewed previous studies that have also examined the effect GLP-1s have on the mental health of users.
Researchers analysed health records for more than 70,000 adults in the US with both schizophrenia and type 2 diabetes, treated between January 2018 and October 2026.
Symptoms of schizophrenia
Many experiences and behaviours can be part of schizophrenia.
But a doctor might say you have schizophrenia if you experience some of the following for at least one month:
- Delusions – strong beliefs that others don’t share
- Hallucinations, such as hearing voices or seeing things that others don’t
- Disorganised thinking and speech
- Being unable to express emotions, or feeling disconnected from them
- Difficulty concentrating
- Lack of interest or enjoyment in things
- Avoiding other people, including friends and family
You might also find it difficult to continue with day-to-day activities, like going to work or taking care of yourself.
Schizophrenia symptoms can start suddenly, or they might develop gradually over time.
Most people who get a schizophrenia diagnosis are between 18 and 35 years old. But symptoms can happen at any age.
Source: Mind
Some had been prescribed a GLP-1, such as semaglutide (the active ingredient or Wegovy), or tirzepatide (Mounjaro).
Patients were also prescribed other GLP-1s – liraglutide and dulaglutide – or newer types of diabetes medication known as DPP-4 and SGLT2 inhibitors.
These were contrasted with patients who weren’t taking any sort of diabetes or weight loss medication.
They found: “GLP-1 receptor agonist initiation was associated with
lower psychiatric acute-care use than non-initiation and initiation of DPP-4 or SGLT2 inhibitors.”
People taking GLP-1s were 24 per cent less likely to need psychiatric hospital admission than those not taking diabetes medications, the study found.
Specifically, they were 18 per cent less likely to be admitted to hospital than those taking DPP-4 inhibitors, and 17 per cent less likely than those taking SGLT2 inhibitors.
They were also 29 per cent less likely to go to A&E for a mental health crisis.
There was a 13 per cent drop in risk compared to people on DPP-4 inhibitors, and a 20 per cent lower risk compared to those taking SGLT2 inhibitors.
The pattern was most evident in adults under the age of 55 and male patients, researchers said.
Patients who lost weight on GLP-1s were less likely to need emergency or hospital care, but the benefits were also seen, to a lesser extent, in people whose weight didn’t change or increased.
“Weight-related pathways might contribute to the observed lower psychiatric acute-care use, although potential weight-independent mechanisms cannot be excluded,” the study authors noted.
When each specific GLP-1 treatment was analysed separately, the association was seen with semaglutide, liraglutide, and tirzepatide, but not dulaglutide.
“Suicidal outcomes were rare, with no evidence of excess risk among those who initiated GLP-1 receptor agonists,” the study authors added.
Previous research looking into the “beneficial effects” of weight loss injections on and and suggested the drugs may improve mental health by reducing inflammation in the brain.
Experts at the University of Bern in reviewed 36 studies on a total of 26,000 people, finding that the “significantly improved” emotional wellbeing.
Study author Dr Sigrid Breit: “They may have antidepressant and anti- effects due to their anti-inflammatory properties, which can help reduce inflammation in the brain.
“These results are particularly important for people with severe mental disorders, who are three times more likely to be living with obesity than the general population.
“Future studies should explore whether these medications might be useful for the direct treatment of mental health disorders.”
Authors of the new study noted it was observational – meaning it can’t show that GLP-1s directly reduce the risk of needing acute psychiatric care.
As a result, weight loss drugs should not be thought of as a psychiatric treatment or prescribed to reduce mental health hospital visits.
However, researchers said their findings show GLP-1s could play a role in mental health care.
Future clinical trials are needed to confirm these findings, including in people with schizophrenia but without T2D.
