Study: Lithium in drinking water may effect suicide rate

LONDON – Lithium doesn’t sound like something you’d want to consume, but it’s actually more common in food than you’d think. Moreover, the chemical is proven in helping patients dealing with mental health conditions. Now, a new study finds higher levels of the naturally occurring substance in drinking water show ties to lowering the global suicide rate.

Lithium is a common treatment for mood disorders. It’s particularly useful when treating manic and depressive episodes of bipolar disorder. It’s also naturally found in sources like vegetables, grains, spices, and drinking water.

“It is promising that higher levels of trace lithium in drinking water may exert an anti-suicidal effect and have the potential to improve community mental health,” Anjum Memon of Brighton and Sussex Medical School says in a release. “The prevalence of mental health conditions and national suicide rates are increasing in many countries. Worldwide, over 800,000 people die by suicide every year, and suicide is the leading cause of death among persons aged 15-24 years.”

In the study, researchers review previous work on lithium levels in water and mental health. These studies include 1,286 regions within Austria, Greece, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, the U.K. and United States. The results find regions with higher amounts of lithium in their public drinking water have lower suicide rates.

Growing evidence of lithium’s benefits

Although the link between these two topics is new, the health benefits of naturally occurring lithium is not a secret. The study mentions an ancient Native American medicinal spring, known as Lithia Springs. The site is believed to have many different health benefits due to its high lithium content. The soft drink 7-Up also contained the chemical when it was first created in 1929. More recently, studies say lithium may contribute to lowering rates of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia cases.

“The levels of lithium in drinking water are far lower than those recommended when lithium is used as medicine although the duration of exposure may be far longer, potentially starting at conception,” researcher Allan Young explains. “These findings are also consistent with the finding in clinical trials that lithium reduces suicide and related behaviours in people with a mood disorder.”

Can this cure crumbling communities?

The study authors say the next step in this research may test how adding lithium supplements to the water in high-risk communities affects the public. This could greatly benefit areas battling higher crime rates, substance abuse issues, and mental health cases.

“This may provide further evidence to support the hypothesis that lithium could be used at the community level to reduce or combat the risk of these conditions,” says Memon.

The study is published in the British Journal of Psychiatry.

Read more at www.studyfinds.org


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Comments (8)

  • Avatar

    Joseph Olson

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    This correlation published by UT-Austin in 1990, based on crime studies and natural Lithium in drinking water supplies. Just like my “WuFlu Bat Stew News” describes, we are dealing with ionic bonded element substitution. Chlorinated water produces carcinogenic galactic acids and trihalomathanes.

    Executive Order #13887 > Headlineswithavoice(.)com > mandatory MAGA vaccination order

    Reply

  • Avatar

    Joseph Olson

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    Android is below GED vocabulary spell checker, should read HALOACETIC ACID >
    GooGhoul assholes must not be allowed to rule the world.

    Reply

  • Avatar

    Luca Leon

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    Is PS really backing a study that recommends the mass medication of our drinking water, this site is usually on point when it comes to throwing light on the skullduggery of shameful science, whats going on with this.

    Reply

    • Avatar

      Andy Rowlands

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      PSI does not back any article unless the editor specifically endorses it. PSI provides a censorship-free platform for various disciplines. Lithium is well known to have beneficial effects as shown in the article, so I have no issue with it.

      Reply

    • Avatar

      Joseph Olson

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      Lithium, atomic #3, has low reactivity in low level biological systems, highly combustible in EV battery concentrations. The PSI issue is ethical, Nuremberg Code requires “voluntary, informed consent” which current authorities ignored. Even if a substance is benign, we should have our basic human rights. Since this has been published since 1990, I suspect “experiments” have been conducted.

      Reply

  • Avatar

    4TimesAYear

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    People on it for mood disorders must be monitored carefully. It can throw your whole system out of whack and they end up trying to commit suicide. Not a good idea. This is like playing with fire. Oh, and your pets would be getting it too. Psychiatry is warped enough, voting on “illnesses” and trying to say that the President isn’t fit to serve. Lithium isn’t going to fix our broken communities either. That’s a moral/sin issue, not a psychiatric one.

    Reply

    • Avatar

      Luca Leon

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      Oh come on now, they will be fine, its for their own good, look at flouride that does you no harm.
      And in times of civil unrest, we can hike the dosage, everyone’s a winner.

      Reply

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