The Science And Practice Of Lithium Therapy

This book provides a clear and comprehensive guide to the clinical prescription of lithium that draws upon evidence-based knowledge of its mechanisms of action. The book is divided into two parts, on the science of lithium and the practice of lithium therapy. The former covers aspects such as the properties of the lithium ion, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, impact on neurotransmission, and gene expression modulation. The section on practice includes discussion of variability in response to lithium, use of lithium in the treatment of bipolar disorders, its value in suicide prevention, administration during pregnancy and in the pediatric age group, and side effects. Lithium is arguably the only true mood stabilizer, and its multifaceted effects across many clinical domains have given rise to a resurgence of interest in recent years, fuelled by both researchers and clinicians. Nevertheless, its use remains constrained by exaggerated concerns about potential side-effects. In reality, lithium is a simple molecule that is relatively straightforward to administer and monitor and has potentially profound benefits at a fraction of the cost of contemporary agents. This book dispels the many myths and concerns that surround its use and will be of interest for clinicians and researchers worldwide, and those that are recipients of lithium therapy.

The remarkable untold story of a miracle drug, the forgotten pioneer who discovered it, and the fight to bring lithium to the masses. The DNA double helix, penicillin, the X-ray, insulin—these are routinely cited as some of the most important medical discoveries of the twentieth century. And yet, the 1949 discovery of lithium as a cure for bipolar disorder is perhaps one of the most important—yet largely unsung—breakthroughs of the modern era. In Lithium, Walter Brown, a practicing psychiatrist and professor at Brown, reveals two unlikely success stories: that of John Cade, the physician whose discovery would come to save an untold number of lives and launch a pharmacological revolution, and that of a miraculous metal rescued from decades of stigmatization. From insulin comas and lobotomy to incarceration to exile, Brown chronicles the troubling history of the diagnosis and (often ineffective) treatment of bipolar disorder through the centuries, before the publication of a groundbreaking research paper in 1949. Cade’s “Lithium Salts in the Treatment of Psychotic Excitement” described, for the first time, lithium’s astonishing efficacy at both treating and preventing the recurrence of manic-depressive episodes, and would eventually transform the lives of patients, pharmaceutical researchers, and practicing physicians worldwide. And yet, as Brown shows, it would be decades before lithium would overcome widespread stigmatization as a dangerous substance, and the resistance from the pharmaceutical industry, which had little incentive to promote a naturally occurring drug that could not be patented. With a vivid portrait of the story’s unlikely hero, John Cade, Brown also describes a devoted naturalist who, unlike many modern medical researchers, did not benefit from prestigious research training or big funding sources (Cade’s “laboratory” was the unused pantry of an isolated mental hospital). As Brown shows, however, these humble conditions were the secret to his historic success: Cade was free to follow his own restless curiosity, rather than answer to an external funding source. As Lithium makes tragically clear, medical research—at least in America—has transformed in such a way that serendipitous discoveries like Cade’s are unlikely to occur ever again. Recently described by the New York Times as the “Cinderella” of psychiatric drugs, lithium has saved countless of lives and billions of dollars in healthcare costs. In this revelatory biography of a drug and the man who fought for its discovery, Brown crafts a captivating picture of modern medical history—revealing just how close we came to passing over this extraordinary cure.

As a medical student in the 1930s, I remember well that a very clear line of distinction was drawn between physical illness and mental illness. Physical illness resulted from pathology which could be identified and studied in detail and the cause could often be deduced. Treatment thus was often specific and based upon a proper appreciation of underlying basic science. Mental illness, on the other hand, could not, it was believed, be based upon identifiable changes in basic science. It was literally 'all in the mind' and, occurring in the absence of causes that could be identified, analysed and remedied, had no treatment that could in any way be called specific. N ow it is all too easy, in Medicine, for a doctor to become so immersed in a specialty that he fails to notice how his colleagues in other specialties are faring and, through laziness, to miss advances even of fundamental importance in fields other than those in which he himself works. As a consultant surgeon, after W orId War II, although I realized the importance of keeping in touch with those medical specialties which appeared to have a common interface with my own surgical interests, such as general medi cine, gastro-enterology, hepatology and endocrinology, it did not occur to me that there was any pressing need to ask what was new in Psychological Medicine.

The book provides treatment recommendations for bipolar patients, a review of evidence about bipolar disorder, and states research needs

The Bipolar Book covers not only clinical and pathophysiological matters, but also technical aspects of the evidence accumulation for treatment of bipolar disorder.

Part of the Drugs in series, the updated second edition of this practical pocketbook summarizes essential information on all the major drugs currently used in clinical psychiatric practice. Beginning with a brief discussion on drugs in psychiatry, the text moves on to consider the principles of psychopharmacology, which form the foundation of the sound, scientifically based use of drugs in psychiatry. Details are then given, in turn, of the main non-depot antipsychotic drugs, antipsychotic depot injections, antimanic drugs, tricyclic and related antidepressant drugs, monoamine-oxidase inhibitors, selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, and other antidepressants. This practical pocketbook is an essential companion for all medical staff involved in psychopharmacology, both for learning and quick reference.

Personalized Psychiatry presents the first book to explore this novel field of biological psychiatry that covers both basic science research and its translational applications. The book conceptualizes personalized psychiatry and provides state-of-the-art knowledge on biological and neuroscience methodologies, all while integrating clinical phenomenology relevant to personalized psychiatry and discussing important principles and potential models. It is essential reading for advanced students and neuroscience and psychiatry researchers who are investigating the prevention and treatment of mental disorders. Combines neurobiology with basic science methodologies in genomics, epigenomics and transcriptomics Demonstrates how the statistical modeling of interacting biological and clinical information could transform the future of psychiatry Addresses fundamental questions and requirements for personalized psychiatry from a basic research and translational perspective