<img src="https://healthylife7.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/2fffe2098d7f53d157ad91e8399769d0.jpg" alt="It is estimated that about 10–20% of the global population experiences depression at least once in their lifetime. As obesity and the use of weight-loss medications rise, interest is growing in how these drugs affect <a href="https://healthylife7.com/mothers-get-lost-in-the-shuffle-the-clancy-trial-highlights-gaps-in-postpartum-mental-health-care/" title="‘Mothers get lost in the shuffle’: The Clancy trial highlights gaps in postpartum mental health care”>mental health. Provided by Getty Image Bank”>
It is estimated that about 10–20% of the global population experiences depression at least once in their lifetime. As obesity and the use of weight-loss medications rise, interest is growing in how these drugs affect mental health. Provided by Getty Image Bank
People who use prescription weight-loss medications showed higher rates of mental health problems such as feelings of depression and suicidal thoughts or behaviors than non-users. In particular, those who used weight-loss drugs and then regained weight were about 4.25 times more likely to have suicidal thoughts. Because this is a finding of statistical association rather than causation, caution is needed in interpretation
According to reports from relevant institutions and Yonhap News on the 23rd, a family medicine research team at Asan Medical Center in Seoul, led by Professors Kim Da-sol and Son Ki-young, published a study on June 20 in the Korean Journal of Family Practice analyzing the relationship between experience of using prescription weight-loss medications and depression, suicidal thoughts, and suicidal behaviors
As the number of people with obesity increases and the use of weight-loss drugs becomes more common, research on the impact of these medications on mental health has become more active. Some previous studies have reported mental health side effects of weight-loss drugs, but there has been a lack of research analyzing how mental health is affected when weight increases again after using such medications
The research team analyzed data from 27,741 adults aged 19 years and older who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2013 and 2022. Of these, 846 people, or 3.0% of the total, reported that in the past year they had taken medication prescribed by a doctor to lose or maintain weight. Among the 846 weight-loss medication users, 782 were women, accounting for 92.4%, and the specific types of drugs used were not identified
Compared with non-users, weight-loss drug users had higher rates of experiencing depressive mood lasting two weeks or more, receiving counseling for mental health problems, suicidal ideation, suicidal planning, and suicide attempts
Even after adjusting for sex, age, income, education level, marital status, and subjective health status, weight-loss medication users were 1.93 times more likely to have experienced depression, 2.01 times more likely to have sought counseling for mental health issues, 2.68 times more likely to have suicidal ideation, 1.90 times more likely to have made a suicidal plan, and 1.67 times more likely to have attempted suicide than non-users
In an analysis that additionally adjusted for the amount of weight gain, experiences of depression were 1.88 times higher, mental health counseling 1.75 times higher, and suicidal ideation 4.25 times higher among users, although the statistical significance for suicidal planning and suicide attempts was unclear
Looking only at weight-loss drug users, those whose weight had increased by 10 kg or more in the past year had 3.67 times higher suicidal ideation, 1.96 times higher suicidal planning, and 2.35 times higher suicide attempts compared with those whose weight increased by 3–6 kg. This reflects a perspective that considers not only the use of medication itself but also the amount of weight gain
The research team suggested that, in addition to the neuropsychiatric effects of the drugs themselves, dissatisfaction with one’s appearance and psychological frustration arising from failing to achieve the expected weight loss or regaining weight may also have contributed to mental health problems
This study was conducted using self-reported, survey-based data. In other words, it did not prove a causal relationship in which weight-loss medications increase the risk of depression or suicide. Furthermore, because specific drugs were not identified, it is difficult to interpret the results as pointing to the risks of particular drug classes such as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, whose prescription volume has recently surged
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– doi.org/10.21215/kjfp.2026.16.2.120
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