Anti-obesity drugs (GLP-1) linked to a 33% lower risk of suicidal thoughts or attempts among young people (ages 12-18)
https://www.euronews.com/health/2024/10/14/anti-obesity-drugs-tied-to-lower-risk-of-suicidal-thoughts-or-attempts-among-young-people-
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>Researchers analysed mental health outcomes for nearly 7,000 adolescents who were obese and aged 12 to 18, most of them in the United States.
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>Half were prescribed the drugs, while half got a lifestyle intervention instead, for example being advised to diet and exercise.
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>Up to three years later, patients who took the medication were 33 per cent less likely to have considered or attempted suicide than those with a lifestyle approach.
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>Even so, the researchers said their findings should be interpreted with caution.
Paper: [Risk of Suicidal Ideation or Attempts in Adolescents With Obesity Treated With GLP1 Receptor Agonists | Obesity | JAMA Pediatrics | JAMA Network](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2824895)
I’ve seen a lot of commentary about GLP-1 drugs also reducing other sorts of interests or desires, e.g. other addictions (food, drinking, smoking, shopping), hobbies, or other passions.
Could that also apply to the the underlying emotional extremes that contribute to suicidal ideation?
Weight loss alleviates sleep apnea. Majority of obese men have sleep apnea. While not due to weight I have sleep apnea and have likely had it since a young age. It really wreaks havoc on your mental health.
Could be that having lost weight leads to less bullying and that causes less mental stress? Because another “benefit” is “less risk of heart related issues” which is also something that an overweight person is more prone to.
So the is stuff just block impulse triggers or something similar no? Seems like it’s good at helping do tons of stuff along those lines
Would probably need to see if this drug was moderated by reduction in cravings for things e.g., maybe people feel better about themselves and experience less self critical thoughts because of the drug and this leads to reductions in suicidal ideation. I feel like there are so many possibly things that could cause this that aren’t an actual direct impact of the drug on some psychological mechanism.
This feels like a tough link to establish because the mental health benefits of just losing weight exists. They mentioned other participants had lifestyle changes but didn’t mention how effective the results of those lifestyle interventions were. Lots of people have made remarks about just being treated differently by others after losing a lot of weight. Would be interesting to see results examining weight/fat% loss and mental health outcomes within similar populations.
Yeah, imagine going from obese in teen years to normal body weight would be beneficial for mental health.
How do we reconcile this study with the known sideffects for GLP-1 drugs to increase suicidal ideation in some people?
I will say, that as someone who has a lifelong struggle with depression, I found out in my early 20s that if you’re going to be depressed, it’s easier to do so while ripped.
As someone who is overweight and adhd I took ozempic for a month last year. I lost 30lbs and everything was going great. I wasn’t addicted to eating everything in the house and could focus on other things. Unfortunately Cigna thinks I only need it once year. Trying to find other options still.
Hope for a better/skinnier future has that effect.
Wouldn’t it be crazy if diet was positively linked to suicide?
Purely anecdotal, but my friend with refractory brain fog, post COVID seems to have better memory and clearer thought processes with a low dose of Tirzepatide.
and despite this data, clinical trials require assessment of suicidal ideation at every study visit (weekly for inpatients)
I swear I just saw an article on the front page that ozempic was under investigation for causing increased suicidal thoughts. Yup, just found it… [here it is](https://www.healthline.com/health-news/ozempic-wegovy-suicidal-thoughts)
Side Affects may include: lack of suicidal thoughts.
Yay for diabetes helping my ptsd!