GLP1 receptor agonists and mental health
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Effect of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP1) receptor agonists on mental health in patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D): a mixed methods study.
IRAS ID
314639
Contact name
Khalida Ismail
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King’s College London
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
This study is investigating the effect of a medication called glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP1) receptor agonists on mental health. GLP1 receptor agonists are a type of medication that are used to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Obesity and T2D are very common health conditions, and research has shown that people living with obesity and T2D are more likely to experience mental health disorders. Some recent research has suggested that GLP1 receptor agonists might help with mental health problems such as depression and binge eating disorder, and we want to expand on this in our study. We will be recruiting patients from community diabetes services, and tier 3 weight management services in South East London. Patients will be eligible if they are starting on GLP1 receptor agonists for the management of either T2D or obesity. The study is a mixed methods, longitudinal observations study with two components – a quantitative and a qualitative aspect. Firstly, we will be interviewing patients before and 12-16 weeks after starting the medication, using short questionnaires which asks participants about different mental health symptoms that they may be experiencing. We will use this information to see if there are any objective changes in mental health after taking GLP1 receptor agonists. Secondly, we will be conducting a longer semi-structured interview after the second set of short questionnaires (at 12-16 weeks after starting GLP1 receptor agonist), asking about patient’s experiences of taking the medication and how it has affected their mental health and general wellbeing. We will qualitatively analyse this data to determine the subjective effect of GLP1 receptor agonists on mental health and wellbeing.
REC name
London - Hampstead Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/LO/0506
Date of REC Opinion
10 Aug 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion