It\u2019s proving to be way more than just a skinny jab.<\/p>\n
With millions of people of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, it\u2019s becoming increasingly clear that their benefits extend well beyond weight loss and treating type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n
Now, new research has found that it could be a game changer for people living with serious mental illness.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/138471535.jpg\")
The blockbuster weight loss and diabetes drug Ozempic may have additional benefits for mental health conditions. \u00c3\u00c5\u00c3\u00c2\u00b0\u00c3\u00e2\u00ac\u00c3\u00c2\u00b8\u00c3\u00c2\u00bd\u00c3\u00c2\u00b0 \u00c3\u00e2\u00c3\u00c2\u00b5\u00c3\u00c2\u00bc\u00c3\u00c2\u00b5\u00c3\u00cb\u00c3\u00c2\u00ba\u00c3\u00c2\u00be \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n
Nearly 7 million US adults<\/a> have bipolar disorder, a condition marked by extreme shifts in mood<\/a> and energy levels \u2014\u00a0namely, the \u201chigh\u201d of mania and the low of extreme depression.<\/p>\n Both types of episodes can result in hospitalization: Depression may cause thoughts of or attempts at suicide, while severe mania can cause psychosis, dangerous impulsivity or an inability to care for oneself.<\/p>\n But a new study<\/a> from Griffith University in Australia found that people with bipolar disorder who take a GLP-1 have lower rates of hospitalization, seemingly keeping more extreme symptoms in check.<\/p>\n The researchers looked at data from 15,000 over a 15-year period and found that taking semaglutide \u2014 sold under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy \u2014 had a 21% lower risk of being hospitalized for psychiatric reasons.<\/p>\n Professor Mark Taylor, who led the study, described these as \u201csignificantly lower rates.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe findings add to growing evidence that GLP-1 receptor agonists may have benefits beyond diabetes and obesity treatment, and could represent a promising new avenue for bipolar research,\u201d he said ina. press release.<\/p>\n The researched suggests that GLP-1 signaling may protect the brain by reducing inflammation, cellular stress and other biological processes that are linked to bipolar disorder, potentially improving mood stability.<\/p>\n Drugs like Ozempic are well-known for quieting \u201cfood noise\u201d in the brain and rewiring dopamine hits<\/a>, which may also help keep the chemical stable<\/a> over time in those with bipolar disorder.<\/p>\n However, only semaglutide was associated with reduced psychiatric hospitalization risk. Liraglutide (sold under the brand names Victoza and Saxenda) and dulaglutide (sold as Trulicity) did not have the same benefits.<\/p>\n Previous research<\/a> has found GLP-1s to have positive outcomes on some other mental health conditions, noting the same effects of reduced inflammation and oxidative stress in the brain.<\/p>\n High levels of inflammatory proteins<\/a> can disrupt brain chemicals and typical signals, damaging nerve connections and worsening mood shifts over time.<\/p>\n In 2025, a study of nearly 30,000 patients found that the use of GLP-1 medications could have \u201can antidepressant effect,\u201d<\/a> and not just because people might be happy to have lost weight.<\/p>\n The year prior, another study<\/a> found that obese teens who were given semaglutide had a 33% reduction in suicidal ideation or attempts.<\/p>\n Those with ADHD, in particular have also noticed improvements with weight loss drugs, albeit anecdotally.<\/p>\n \u201cI have seen a number of patients that have reported feeling better in terms of their ADHD symptoms when they went on GLP-1s,\u201d Dr. Lenard Adler<\/a>, director of the\u00a0Adult ADHD Program<\/a>\u00a0at NYU Langone Health, previously told The Post.<\/p>\n Many have experienced better focus and attention span, as well as fewer impulsive moments and less hyperactivity \u2014 two similar symptoms of bipolar disorder.<\/p>\n However, scientists still don\u2019t know whether the drugs directly improve ADHD symptoms<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s proving to be way more than just a skinny jab. With millions of people of GLP-1 drugs…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1025791,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[34],"tags":[30388,54246,6017,3654,210,1060,517,427,16978,67,132,68],"class_list":["post-1025790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-medication","tag-adhd","tag-bipolar-disorder","tag-depression","tag-glp-1","tag-health","tag-medication","tag-mental-health","tag-ozempic","tag-study-says","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/117163256279870260","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1025790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1025790"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1025790\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1025791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1025790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1025790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1025790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/young-woman-looking-anxious-fearful-138471893.jpg\")
Semaglutide, the main ingredient of Ozempic, reduced the risk of psychiatric hospitalization from bipolar disorder. Jeff Bergen\/peopleimages.com \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n