An observational study of U.S. health records published in Lancet Psychiatry in October 2026 indicates that patients with both schizophrenia and type 2 diabetes who take GLP-1 receptor agonists face a 24% lower risk of psychiatric hospital admission and a 29% lower risk of emergency room visits for mental health crises. While antipsychotics increase diabetes risk, researchers emphasize GLP-1s should not yet be prescribed as primary psychiatric treatments without randomized controlled trials.
Reductions in psychiatric acute care
- ▪A study of U.S. health data published in Lancet Psychiatry reported that GLP-1 users with schizophrenia and type 2 diabetes were less likely to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital than patients taking other types of diabetes medication
- ▪Patients with schizophrenia and type 2 diabetes prescribed GLP-1 receptor agonists were 29% less likely to visit an emergency department for a mental health crisis compared to those not taking GLP-1s, according to a Lancet Psychiatry study
- ▪A study of U.S. health records published in Lancet Psychiatry found that patients with both schizophrenia and type 2 diabetes who were prescribed GLP-1 receptor agonists had a 24% lower risk of psychiatric hospital admission than those not taking GLP-1s
Call for further research and caution
- ▪The authors of the Lancet Psychiatry study published in October 2026 emphasized that randomized controlled trials are required to confirm whether GLP-1 receptor agonists directly reduce psychiatric acute care needs in patients with schizophrenia
- ▪Study authors advised that GLP-1 receptor agonists should not be considered a primary psychiatric treatment or prescribed solely to reduce psychiatric hospital admissions based on current evidence
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