Patients with schizophrenia taking a combination of at least three different classes of psychiatric drugs had a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes compared with those taking first-generation antipsychotics alone, findings published in BMC Psychiatry showed.

“Antidepressants and mood stabilizers have been individually associated with type 2 diabetes risk,” Vasiliki Mamakou, MD, of National and Kapodistrian University Athens Medical School, and Dromokaiteio Psychiatric Hospital, and colleagues wrote. “A better understanding of the underlying mechanism linking [type 2 diabetes] and psychiatric disorders can provide evidence and help shape strategies for the prevention of [type 2 diabetes] in this group of patients.”