Related Experiment Videos
Suicide risk in patients treated with lithium
Lars Vedel Kessing1, Lars Søndergård, Kajsa Kvist
1Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Copenhagen, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark. lars.kessing@rh.dk
Archives of General Psychiatry
|August 3, 2005
Summary
Continued lithium treatment significantly reduces suicide risk in bipolar disorder patients. This protective effect was observed across all age groups and sexes, highlighting lithium
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Pharmacology
- Public Health
Background:
- Previous studies suggest lithium may lower suicide risk in bipolar disorder.
- Existing research often overlooks sex and age differences and may be biased by patient severity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if lithium treatment reduces suicide risk in a nationwide cohort.
- To investigate the influence of sex and age on lithium's effect on suicide risk.
Main Methods:
- Observational cohort study using Danish nationwide registers (1995-1999).
- Included 13,186 patients prescribed lithium and 1.2 million controls.
- Suicide data obtained from death certificates.
Main Results:
- Continued lithium treatment (≥2 prescriptions) was associated with a 56% reduced suicide rate compared to one prescription.
- Suicide rates decreased with increasing numbers of lithium prescriptions.
- No significant interaction was found between lithium treatment, sex, and age regarding suicide rates.
Conclusions:
- Continued lithium treatment is associated with a reduced risk of suicide in bipolar disorder.
- This protective effect is consistent across different sexes and age groups.