Resource Tag: LITHIUM

The objective of this study was to determine if antiepileptic drugs increase the risk of suicide attempt in patients with bipolar disorder. The study included a cohort of 47,918 patients with bipolar disorder with a minimum 1-year window of information before & after the index date of their illness. Overall, there was no significant difference […]

Results from the International Group for the Study of Lithium-Treated Patients, covering 5,616 patient years, clearly showed that adequate long-term lithium treatment significantly reduced & even normalized the excess mortality of patients with affective disorders. A meta-analysis on 17,000 patients pooled from 28 studies showed that the rate of suicidal acts in 8.6 fold higher […]

This article discusses recently published research in other journals including a study on suicide-related events in patients treated with antiepileptic drugs. The study found that current use of antiepileptic drugs was not associated with an increased risk of suicidal behaviours among patients with epilepsy but did increase risk among patients who received these drugs & […]

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Letters are from Bowden & Fawcett and Yerevanian, Koek, & Feusner.

Symptoms associated with suicidality in bipolar I patients were identified & suicide risk during treatment with olanzapine in combination with lithium or divalproex was assessed. Data were used from a previous study in which patients with bipolar I manic or mixed-episode who were partially responsive to at least 2 weeks of lithium or divalproex monotherapy […]

This presentation discussed the role of depression in suicidal behaviours & the consequent importance of therapeutic treatment for depression. The treatment of insomnia in patients with depression & the promise of lithium in suicide prevention was also discussed.

Suicide is the leading cause of malpractice liability in psychiatry & of the heightened risk of death in persons with major affective & psychotic disorders. This article provides the latest findings to help clinicians choose medications for at-risk patients with bipolar disorder, major depression, or chronic psychoses. (25 refs.)

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To review the evidence for the efficacy of pharmacotherapy and other biological treatments in suicidality associated with personality disorders, chiefly borderline personality disorder. Systematic review of the literature. Studies evaluating treatment of suicidality in personality disorders are absent. However, several studies examine the efficacy of pharmacotherapy for core symptom clusters that are closely associated with […]

This article includes a discussion of the Nemeroff et al and Baldessarini et al papers.

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The authors conducted a systematic review & meta-analysis of randomized trials to investigate the effect of lithium, compared to placebo & other active treatments, on the risk of suicide, deliberate self-harm, & all-cause mortality in patients with mood disorder. 32 randomized, controlled trials were eligible for inclusion in the review. Patients who received lithium were […]

This article reviews the use of lithium in the treatment of patients at risk of suicide. A sidebar provides information on suicide in the United States, including demographics & warning signs.

These letters to the editor comment on a previous article by Mann et al (2005) on suicide prevention strategies. Tondo & Baldessarini note the lack of discussion of disorders other than major depression & treatments other than antidepressants. Knox & Caine provide more information on the Air Force Suicide Prevention Program, disputing Mann et al’s […]

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