Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Mania and Antimanic Drugs: Overview

Mania and Antimanic Drugs: Overview

Mania, a psychological condition characterized by elevated mood, increased energy, and reduced sleep need, is part of the bipolar disorder cycle. The exact cause of mania isn't entirely known, but it is thought to be a combination of genetic, environmental, and neurological factors. Bipolar disorder involves alternating manic and depressive episodes. Mood stabilizers like lithium, antipsychotics, and anticonvulsants help manage these episodes. Lithium carbonate is particularly effective as a...

Antidepressant Drugs: MAOIs and Other Agents

Antidepressant Drugs: MAOIs and Other Agents

Atypical antidepressants, including bupropion (Wellbutrin), mirtazapine (Remeron), nefazodone (Serzone), trazodone (Desyrel), and vilazodone (Viibryd), offer unique mechanisms of action. Bupropion weakly inhibits dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake, aiding depression treatment and smoking cessation, with a low risk of sexual dysfunction. Mirtazapine enhances serotonin and norepinephrine neurotransmission, leading to sedation, increased appetite, and weight gain. As a result, it helps treat...

Psychosis: Goals of Pharmacotherapy

Psychosis: Goals of Pharmacotherapy

Antipsychotic drugs are a crucial treatment method for acute and chronic psychoses, bipolar illness, and behavioral disorders. The selection of these drugs depends on several factors, including the state of the disease, clinical judgment, possible drug interactions, and the patient's sensitivity to adverse effects. In immediate scenarios, such as delirium and dementia, short-term treatment with low doses of high-potency typical or atypical agents can effectively manage symptom exacerbation. For...

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is a chronic mental health condition marked by significant mood fluctuations, including episodes of mania and depression. Elevated energy levels, heightened mood or irritability, impulsive behavior, reduced sleep needs, rapid speech, racing thoughts, inflated self-esteem, and distractibility characterize mania. Individuals with bipolar disorder often alternate between depressive and manic states, with periods of emotional stability lasting an average of six months to a year.

Drug Therapy

Drug Therapy

The advent of drug therapy has profoundly shaped modern mental health care, providing targeted treatments for a range of psychological disorders. Psychotherapeutic drugs, classified into antianxiety, antidepressant, and antipsychotic medications, address symptoms across anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and schizophrenia. While these medications have transformed patient outcomes, they require careful management due to their potential side effects and limitations.
Antianxiety Medications

Psychosis and Antipsychotic Drugs: Overview

Psychosis and Antipsychotic Drugs: Overview

The term "psychosis" refers to a spectrum of mental disorders characterized by abnormal thoughts, perceptions, and behaviors. It can manifest as mood disorders, dementia, delirium with psychotic features, substance-induced psychosis with psychotic features, brief psychotic disorder, delusional disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophrenia. Among all these disorders, schizophrenia is the most common psychotic disorder, affecting 1% of the worldwide population. Psychotic symptoms in all...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

A Tribute to Prof. Jules Angst highlighting his Contributions to Clozapine.

Pharmacopsychiatry·2026

Same author

Frequency and Correlates of Inaccurate Psychiatric Diagnoses in 401 Adults Hospitalized for Major Depressive Disorder: A Comparison of Clinical vs. Research Interview-Based Diagnoses.

CNS spectrums·2026

Same author

Psychomotor slowing as a predictor of treatment outcomes in major depressive disorder with acute suicidality: Insights from the OASIS-D study.

European neuropsychopharmacology : the journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology·2026

Same author

Lithium effects on renal functioning: an expert opinion and management algorithm.

International journal of bipolar disorders·2026

Same author

[Assisted dying from an international perspective and the debate in Germany].

Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz·2026

Same author

Zeitschrift fur Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie und Psychotherapie·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Developing a Rat Model for Bipolar Disorder

Developing a Rat Model for Bipolar Disorder

Published on: May 2, 2025

Lithium reduces pathological aggression and suicidality: a mini-review.

Bruno Müller-Oerlinghausen¹, Ute Lewitzka

¹Drug Commission of the German Medical Association, Berlin, Germany. bmoe @ zedat.fu-berlin.de

Neuropsychobiology

|May 11, 2010

Summary

Lithium treatment significantly reduces mortality in patients with affective disorders, primarily by lowering suicide risk. Its proven antisuicidal and anti-aggressive properties make it a crucial, cost-effective option for patient care.

More Related Videos

The Tail Suspension Test

The Tail Suspension Test

Published on: January 28, 2012

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Developing a Rat Model for Bipolar Disorder

Developing a Rat Model for Bipolar Disorder

Published on: May 2, 2025

The Tail Suspension Test

The Tail Suspension Test

Published on: January 28, 2012

Area of Science:

Psychiatry and Pharmacology
Neuroscience

Background:

Affective disorders are associated with significantly increased mortality, particularly due to suicide.
Lithium is a well-established mood stabilizer with documented antisuicidal and anti-aggressive effects.

Purpose of the Study:

To highlight the clinical significance of lithium's antisuicidal and anti-aggressive properties.
To emphasize lithium's role in reducing mortality in patients with severe affective disorders.

Main Methods:

Review of international studies and clinical observations on lithium treatment.
Analysis of lithium's impact on mortality rates and aggressive behaviors across diverse populations.

Main Results:

Long-term lithium treatment normalizes the elevated mortality risk in severe affective disorders to general population levels.
The reduction in mortality is primarily attributed to a decreased risk of suicide.
Lithium demonstrates consistent anti-aggressive effects in various settings and populations.

Conclusions:

Lithium is a vital, safe, and economical treatment for affective disorders, offering significant reductions in suicide risk and overall mortality.
The anti-aggressive effects of lithium may underpin its potent antisuicidal properties.
No other psychotropic compound has demonstrated comparable evidence for these life-saving effects.