GLP-1 prescribing increased faster among adults with serious mental illness than among those without serious mental illness from 2018 to 2024, according to a Sept. 2 study published in JAMA Psychiatry.
Here are five things to know:
- Among adults with an underlying condition indicating GLP-1 use, prescription rates among those with serious mental illness increased from 2.3% in 2018 to 13.7% in 2024. Rates among adults without serious mental illness increased from 1.8% to 11.1%.
- Researchers analyzed data from 104,315,456 adults, including 14,187,676 with serious mental illness. Among adults with serious mental illness, 14% had schizophrenia, 20.8% had bipolar disorder and 65.2% had major depressive disorder.
- Conditions indicating GLP-1 use were more prevalent among adults with serious mental illness, including diabetes (22.4% vs. 11.5%), obesity (42.9% vs. 21.8%), sleep apnea (17% vs. 6.3%) and overweight plus another chronic condition (16.9% vs. 8.7%).
- Among adults with diabetes, those with schizophrenia had lower GLP-1 prescription rates than those without serious mental illness. Rates among adults with schizophrenia increased from 3.4% in 2018 to 19.4% in 2024, compared with 4.5% to 23.1% among adults without serious mental illness.
- Researchers said the findings suggest clinicians view GLP-1s as safe and effective for patients with serious mental illness, with a possible exception for those with schizophrenia. They called for further research on continuity of GLP-1 use among people with serious mental illness.
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