GLP-1 may help alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression

GLP-1 medications used to treat diabetes and obesity were associated with a reduced need for hospital care and sickness absence due to psychiatric reasons, according to a large register-based study carried out in collaboration between the University of Eastern Finland, Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm and Griffith University in Australia.

Infographic on anxiety and depression in the UK (Credit: Mark Taylor)

"An earlier study examining Swedish registers found the use of GLP-1 medications to be associated with a reduced risk of alcohol use disorder,” said one of the study's authors, Professor Mark Taylor from Griffith University.  “Alcohol-related problems often have downstream effects on mood and anxiety, so we expected the effect to be positive on these as well.”

Diabetes and obesity are associated with an increased risk of mental health symptoms, and similarly, individuals with mental disorders have an elevated risk of metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes. Researchers have long been interested in the connections between these conditions and in how pharmacological treatments may affect both metabolic and mental health disorders.

The present study included nearly 100,000 participants, more than 20,000 of whom had used GLP-1 medications. Participants were followed through Swedish national registers between 2009 and 2022.

The results showed that the use of GLP-1 medications, particularly semaglutide, was associated with a reduction in sickness absence and hospital care due to psychiatric reasons. During periods of semaglutide use, the reduction was 42% compared with periods when GLP-1 medications were not used. For depression, the risk was 44% lower, and for anxiety disorders, 38% lower.

In addition, semaglutide use was associated with a lower risk of substance use disorders: hospital care and sickness absence related to substance use were 47% lower during periods of semaglutide use compared with periods without GLP-1 medication. The use of GLP-1 receptor agonists was also associated with a reduced risk of suicidal behaviour.

“Because this is a registry-based study, we cannot determine exactly why or how these medications affect mood symptoms, but the association was quite strong,” added Research Director, Docent Markku Lähteenvuo from the University of Eastern Finland. “It is possible that, in addition to factors such as reduced alcohol consumption, weight loss–related improvements in body image, or relief associated with better glycaemic control in diabetes, there may also be direct neurobiological mechanisms involved - for example, through changes in the functioning of the brain's reward system.”

Other recent evidence on the effects of GLP-1 medications on anxiety and depressive disorders has been somewhat inconsistent, but it has been largely based on small studies.

The findings were featured in the paper, ‘Association between GLP-1 receptor agonist use and worsening mental illness in people with depression and anxiety in Sweden: a national cohort study’, published in The Lancet Psychiatry. To access this paper, please click here