Conditions like obesity and diabetes are often connected with a higher risk of depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges. At the same time, people with psychiatric disorders are more likely to develop metabolic diseases. Because of this two-way relationship, researchers have been exploring whether treatments for physical health conditions might also influence mental well-being.

Large Study Tracks Nearly 100,000 People

To investigate this, researchers analyzed data from Swedish national health registers, following nearly 100,000 individuals between 2009 and 2022. More than 20,000 participants had used GLP-1 medications during that time. This large dataset allowed scientists to compare periods when people were taking the drugs with periods when they were not.

Significant Reductions in Depression, Anxiety, and Hospital Care

The findings showed a strong link between GLP-1 drug use and improved mental health outcomes. The use of GLP-1 medications — particularly semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy — was associated with fewer psychiatric hospital visits and reduced sickness absence.

During times when people were taking semaglutide, psychiatric-related hospital care and sick leave dropped by 42% compared with periods when they were not using these medications. The risk of depression was 44% lower, while anxiety disorders were reduced by 38%.

Lower Risk of Substance Use and Suicidal Behavior

The study also found notable reductions in substance use disorders. Hospital care and work absence linked to substance use were 47% lower during periods of semaglutide use. In addition, GLP-1 receptor agonists were associated with a reduced risk of suicidal behavior.

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

Why Might These Drugs Affect the Brain?

Even so, the strength of the results surprised the researchers. Because the study relied on registry data, it cannot prove exactly how or why these medications influence mental health.

“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. 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 glycemic control in diabetes, there may also be direct neurobiological mechanisms involved — for example, through changes in the functioning of the brain’s reward system,” says Research Director, Docent Markku Lähteenvuo from the University of Eastern Finland.

Published in a Leading Psychiatry Journal

The findings were published in The Lancet Psychiatry, a leading journal in the field. While some earlier studies on GLP-1 drugs and mental health have produced mixed results, many of those were smaller in scale. This large, long-term analysis adds stronger evidence that these widely used medications could have broader effects beyond managing blood sugar and weight.