New research shows that people who take certain psychiatric medications may be more likely to develop amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which is the most common form of motor neurone disease (MND).

This study, which was led by a team from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, raises some important questions about the connections between psychiatric symptoms, ALS, and MND, and how they might be targeted for treatment.

Anxiolytics , hypnotics and sedatives, and antidepressants are the most commonly prescribed drugs for psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression , and sleep problems. In terms of increased ALS risk, it worked out as 34 percent, 21 percent, and 26 percent respectively for the three drug types.

The increased risk is extremely small when taken in context with the

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