Old drug, new data

REVISITING... LITHIUM THERAPY

Nicol Ferrier is Professor of Psychiatry and Head of the School of Neurology, Neurobiology and Psychiatry at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne (Leazes Wing, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Queen Victoria Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4LP, UK. Email: i.n.ferrier{at}ncl.ac.uk) and Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist for Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland Mental Health NHS Trust. He works in a clinical capacity for a regional service for patients with chronic affective disorders. His research interests are in psychopharmacology and the neurobiology and treatment of severe affective disorders. He collaborated on the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines for unipolar depression and is Chairman of the team preparing similar guidelines for bipolar disorder. Lindsey J. Ferrie was awarded a PhD from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne for her thesis on the effect of chronic lithium treatment on the dopaminergic system. Karine A. Macritchie studied physiology and medicine at the University of Glasgow. She undertook basic training in psychiatry at Cambridge and recently completed specialist training in general adult psychiatry and liaison psychiatry at Newcastle upon Tyne. Her research interests include affective disorders, women’s mental health, evidence-based medicine and neuroimaging.

New data have emerged over the past 10 years regarding the efficacy and mechanisms of action of lithium. This article briefly summarises the evidence for the use of lithium to treat affective disorders and psychosis, reviews its putative anti-suicidal effect, highlights new research on its mechanism of action and provides an update on some important side-effects and consequences of its use.