THROWBACK: The Lithium Episode (Season 2 Episode 14)

In this preston-led episode, we take a deep dive into the history of lithium and its use in psychiatry. But because Preston is very literal, we are starting at the very beginning, inside of stars where lithium was formed at the beginning of the universe. Then we will follow this wonderful atom through history and past its FDA approval in 1970 to where we are today.

Takeaways:

• Lithium was once sold in Seven Up as a mood-lifting ingredient—but the consequences were messy.

• A forgotten Australian psychiatrist helped launch lithium into psychiatry with groundbreaking trials.

• Despite its toxicity risks, lithium remains the gold standard for reducing relapse and suicidality.

• U.S. psychiatrists resisted lithium for decades—even as Europe embraced it.

• Preston and Margaret debate lithium’s place today: miracle stabilizer or underused relic?

Citations:

⁠https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0025556484901160⁠

Shorter E. The history of lithium therapy. Bipolar Disord. 2009 Jun;11 Suppl 2(Suppl 2):4-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-5618.2009.00706.x. PMID: 19538681; PMCID: PMC3712976.⁠https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3712976/⁠

Fowler, Gene. Crazy Water: The Story of Mineral Wells and Other Texas Health Resorts. No. 10. TCU Press, 1991.

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Produced by Dr Glaucomflecken & Human Content

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