Burden and Risk of Depression in Patients Receiving Semaglutide: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), including semaglutide, are widely used for Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), obesity and related metabolic conditions. Evidence on potential neuropsychiatric effects remains inconsistent. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated depression risk among patients receiving semaglutide. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, major biomedical databases, trial registries, pharmacovigilance databases, conference abstracts and grey literature were searched from inception to January 2026. Eligible studies included randomised controlled trials, observational studies, large database analyses and pharmacovigilance disproportionality studies involving patients receiving semaglutide. Risk of bias was assessed using ROBINS-I and the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. The pooled risk ratio for depression was 1.25 (95% CI: 0.95–1.65; I2 = 98%). For anxiety and suicidal ideation/attempt, pooled risk ratios were 1.22 (95% CI: 0.93–1.60; I2 = 99%) and 1.20 (95% CI: 0.90–1.62; I2 = 92%), respectively. No statistically significant differences were observed between semaglutide and comparator/placebo groups for outcomes. Pooled estimates did not show a statistically significant increase in depression, anxiety or suicidal ideation/attempt among patients receiving semaglutide compared with comparator groups. However, the certainty of evidence was limited by substantial heterogeneity, risk of bias and reliance on heterogeneous data sources, including spontaneous-reporting studies. These findings are reassuring but should be interpreted as the absence of a detected increased risk in the available evidence, rather than definitive proof of no psychiatric risk. © 2026 World Obesity Federation.