How Effective Is Lithium in Preventing the Recurrence of Manic Episodes

HOW EFFECTIVE IS LITHIUM IN PREVENTING THE RECURRENCE OF MANIC EPISODES  

Lithium has been promoted so strongly within psychiatry and to the public as a method of preventing recurrences of mania that few practitioners or consumers doubt its efficacy. In reality, lithium s effectiveness in this regard remains questionable. At the height of lithium s popularity, Prien et al. (1974) reviewed the literature and found that studies showed a relapse rate as high as 50% over 2 years during lithium prophylactic 

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