From the Editor
These medications are widely discussed – and, yes, our patients ask about them. But how do glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists impact mental health and overall wellness? Should we hesitate before reaching for the prescription pad?
Aureliane C. S. Pierret (of King’s College London) and her co-authors attempt to answer these questions in a new paper just published in JAMA Psychiatry. In their systematic review and meta-analysis, they included more than 107 000 patients, comparing treatment with GLP1-RAs to placebo, looking at psychiatric, cognitive, and quality of life outcomes in those who are overweight, obese, or have diabetes. “Our results provide reassurance regarding the psychiatric safety profile of GLP1-RAs and suggest that GLP1-RA treatment is associated with improved mental well-being, in addition to the known physical health improvements.” We consider the paper and its implications.

When we hear innovations in mental healthcare, we tend to think of apps or wearables. In the second selection from Quick Takes, Daisy Singla (of the University of Toronto) discusses her recent study that expanded access to psychotherapy for perinatal women, reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety by drawing a page from work done in low-income countries. The key concept: training up laypeople to deliver therapy (task sharing). “It’s one of the largest psychotherapy trials in the world.”
And in the third selection, from The Globe and Mail, Joe Lee writes about his realization that he has depression and that it has affected his life for years. In a personal essay, he talks about his illness and the impact on his life. “Depression is weird like that. For some people, it sneaks in. For me, it’s always been there – like blood in my body.”
DG
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