World of Psychology

What About Lithium for Bipolar Disorder?

By John M. Grohol, PsyD
Founder & Editor-in-Chief

Often overlooked in the conversation about things that work for bipolar disorder is the old stand-by, lithium. Lithium is a naturally occurring salt that was, prior to the past decade or so, the medication treatment of choice for bipolar disorder. It is now seen more as a secondary treatment with doctors instead preferring the pricier atypical antipsychotics. That’s because lithium has some unpleasant side effects (but hey, what medication doesn’t?).

Our new blog, Bipolar Beat has a great entry about lithium that’s worth a read: Bipolar Medication Spotlight: Lithium.

It’s a great informational piece about this medication and how it’s regaining some renewed interest and prescribing popularity as the downsides to the newer atypical anti-psychotics are becoming better highlighted and understood.


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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 22 Jul 2008
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.

APA Reference
Grohol, J. (2008). What About Lithium for Bipolar Disorder?. Psych Central. Retrieved on May 26, 2012, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2008/07/22/what-about-lithium-for-bipolar-disorder/

 

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