Effect of Lithium Maintenance on Suicidal Behavior in Major Mood Disorders (IN: The Neurobiology of Suicide: From the Bench to the Clinic, edited by D M Stoff & J J Mann)

In this article, the effects of lithium treatment in reducing antisuicidal behavior is reviewed. Of the 28 studies reviewed, patients taking lithium had 8.6 times fewer suicide attempts. In a study of bipolar disordered patients, suicides/suicide attempts were reduced 5.6-fold but after patients discontinued using lithium, suicidal acts rose 7-fold and fatalities increased 9-fold. Thus, there is strong evidence for lithium’s effectiveness in reducing suicidal activity. (56 refs.)