Introduction: Fifty Years of Lithium Use in the Treatment of Bipolar Disorder

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Although lithium has been used in the treatment of various neuropsychiatric conditions in the past 3 decades, it is particularly beneficial for the acute and long-term treatment of mania and, in some bipolar and unipolar patients, for prophylaxis and treatment of depression. In recent years, however, young physicians have largely ignored the benefits of lithium in favor of anticonvulsant or atypical antipsychotic pharmacotherapy for patients with bipolar disorder. Moreover, while lithium was studied extensively in the past, recent literature shows a paucity of controlled studies of the drug.’ ‹’ ‹