Regaining weight after medication linked to 4-fold rise in suicidal thoughts: study
People who have taken weight-loss medication and regained weight afterward were more than four times as likely to have suicidal thoughts, highlighting mental health concerns tied to the medications. According to a study by a research team at Asan Medical Center on Sunday, people who took weight-loss medication were 1.9 times more likely to experience depression and 2.7 times as likely to have…
A study conducted by researchers at Asan Medical Center has revealed a significant link between regaining weight after taking weight-loss medication and an increased likelihood of experiencing suicidal thoughts. The research, which analyzed data from over 27,000 adults in Korea, found that individuals who had previously taken prescribed weight-loss medication were four times more likely to have suicidal thoughts compared to those who had never taken such medication.
The study, which spanned data from 2013 to 2022, involved 10,908 men and 16,833 women. Participants were categorized into two groups: 846 who had taken weight-loss medication in the past year and 26,895 who had not. Among those who had used the medication, 22.1% reported feeling depressed for at least two consecutive weeks, compared to 11.4% of those who had not used the medication.
In addition to the heightened risk of depression, medication users were also more likely to seek mental health counseling, with 8.4% of them doing so compared to 3.4% of non-users. The findings underscore the need to consider mental health implications when prescribing weight-loss medications and highlight the importance of providing adequate mental health support to individuals undergoing such treatments.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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