Why lithium is still the gold standard in treating bipolar disorder

According to recent data from the Global Bipolar Cohort, only 29% of people with bipolar disorder are prescribed lithium. Despite being the “gold standard” for treating this mental health condition, we often prioritise perceptions over scientific reality, and neglect the best available treatment.

Lithium is not some complex molecule synthesised in a state-of-the-art laboratory. It is just an element, the third in the periodic table, and ever since the Australian psychiatrist John Cade discovered…

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