Trace lithium concentrations in mental disorders and suicidal behavior: A cross-sectional study.

Area of Science:

• Clinical Chemistry
• Psychiatry
• Trace Element Research

Background:

• Ecological studies suggest a link between lower lithium in drinking water and reduced suicide rates.
• A clinical investigation into individual lithium concentrations and mental health outcomes was lacking.
• This study addresses the need to understand the clinical significance of lithium trace concentrations in patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess serum lithium trace concentrations in individuals with mental disorders.
• To compare lithium levels between patients and healthy controls.
• To evaluate the association of lithium concentrations with mental disorders and suicidal behavior.

Main Methods:

• Serum lithium concentrations were analyzed in 50 patients with mental disorders, 51 patients hospitalized for suicidal attempts, and 46 healthy controls.
• Suicidality risk was assessed using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview.
• Quantile regression (QR) was employed to analyze lithium concentrations against patient status and covariates.

Main Results:

• The overall median serum lithium concentration was 1.76 µg/L.
• Multivariable QR analysis indicated significantly lower lithium concentrations in patients compared to controls at the 75th quantile.
• Higher suicidality risk was associated with decreased serum lithium concentrations at the 75th quantile (B = -2.073, p = 0.014).

Conclusions:

• Patients with mental disorders exhibited significantly lower serum lithium concentrations in higher quantiles compared to healthy individuals.
• Lower serum lithium concentrations were found to be associated with an elevated risk of suicidality.
• These findings underscore the potential clinical relevance of monitoring serum lithium levels in mental health assessments.