Lithium Levels in Drinking Water Help Reduce Suicide
It would seem there is a study for just about everything under the sun and a new one in Japan has revealed that low levels of lithium added to drinking water may contribute to a reduction in the rate of suicide among the general population.
Lithium is a natural metal that is often found in both food and water. Very high doses of the substance are used to treat bi-polar disorders, but until now, this new treatment has not been studied too closely.
“A logical first step would be for the Medical Research Council to convene an expert working party to examine the available evidence and suggest further research. Large-scale trials involving the addition of lithium to drinking water supplies may then be feasible, although this would undoubtedly be subject to considerable debate. Following up on these findings will not be straightforward or inexpensive, but the eventual benefits for community mental health may be considerable,” says Professor Allan Young, a Vancouver-based psychiatrist who is intrigued by the findings of this new and very controversial Japanese-based study.
The study was conducted at Oita University where researchers measured the natural lithium levels in tap water as found in 18 communities in this region in the south of Japan. The lithium levels became the yardstick for the calculations of the suicide rates in each area.
Researchers discovered that the rate was significantly lower in those areas with the highest levels of lithium in the water. Results of this study have been the propelling force behind the call for further research into the possibility of adding lithium to drinking water to improve mental health.
“Our study suggests that very low levels of lithium in drinking water can lower the risk of suicide. Very low levels may possess an anti-suicidal effect,” claim the researchers in their report written in the May 2009 issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry.
Can lithium in drinking water have such an effect on the human mind?
Surely this is the stuff of the science fiction of a few decades ago, but then again, so much that has been imagined in the past has been transformed into a reality for both the present and future.
What do YOU think about this amazing discovery?
(Link)
By MDeeDubroff on 23-05-2009
Comment by ArkadyRose
May 23rd, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Nice idea in theory – but in practice, there would be far too many problems. For a start, lithium in water would be dangerous to anyone already taking lithium (there being very little difference between an effective dose and a dangerous one, and just a little excess in water could be enough to push blood serum levels into toxicity).
People on lithium have to have blood drawn every 3 months to check for any ill effects on liver and kidneys, as lithium can impair renal function; adding lithium to water would endanger the lives of anyone who already has renal impairment or kidney disease.
And what are the long-term effects of taking lithium unnecessarily for those not suffering mental illness? Suicide rates may be lower in those areas, but are there raised incidences of other mental illnesses?
This report is effectively meaningless; we are not told how many people were involved in the study, what the respective lithium levels were in each area, how long the study went on for, where the study was published or whether this was a peer-reviewed paper. As it stands, this news report is a classic example of science reporting at its worst.
Comment by Dee
May 23rd, 2009 at 11:42 am
Medicating the population? As bad as the idea of fluoride. Some people commit suicide, why medicate ALL people? On would have to ask are there other reasons? What other affects does lithium have and do those low doses make the population more compliant?
Comment by weirdasianews
May 23rd, 2009 at 5:58 pm
I agree… I don't want the entire population medicated "for their own good"… Seems like some scary future Matrix style concept.
Comment by Daniel
May 23rd, 2009 at 6:22 pm
I find it interesting that Nirvana, particularly Cobain did a fairly popular song named Lithium, and now this research comes out saying it reduces suicide rates. Chilling.
Comment by ArkadyRose
May 23rd, 2009 at 6:41 pm
Kurt Cobain suffered from type 1 bipolar disorder and had been on lithium for a number of years to try and control his condition. The song "Lithium" was about his experiences on the drug. It is not the wonderful panacea that this report would appear to suggest; lithium has a number of unpleasant side effects that are not mentioned here.
Lithium does not prevent suicide.
Comment by Uncle B
May 23rd, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Why not get to the real social issues that plague mankind, and develop a more fair and acceptable social condition for all? We fear communism, socialism, capitalism, even Liberal ideas are dangerous to some. We revert to writings by Marx,but are kept from more modern notions by the government and popular propaganda. Who are the new sears, and what do they have to say? I need a list I can search for on the web to educate myself away from the "revert to Marxist" rut, not drugged water.
P.S. China holds intellectual superiority in the world today. Where are their writings, translations of theorums, new notions? Are these hidden? Why?
Comment by Uncle B
May 23rd, 2009 at 7:01 pm
Why not get to the real social issues that plague mankind, and develop a more fair and acceptable social condition for all? We fear communism, socialism, capitalism, even Liberal ideas are dangerous to some. We revert to writings by Marx,but are kept from more modern notions by the government and popular propaganda. Who are the new sears, and what do they have to say? I need a list I can search for on the web to educate myself away from the "revert to Marxist" rut, not drugged water.
Comment by count duckula
May 24th, 2009 at 12:20 am
Jo-LENE. I've got an army to raise and I must get to Manangua at once. I require a window seat and an in-flight Happy Meal with no pickles. OH, GOD HELP YOU IF I FIND PICKLES!
Comment by Fyre vortex
May 24th, 2009 at 8:07 am
Lol. I agree with both of you.
Comment by Andrew Grimes JCP
May 24th, 2009 at 8:19 am
The pros and cons still need to be weighed carefully. It is important to note that this study was done on naturally existing levels of lithium in the water supply in the Oita area of Japan. Some blogers on other websites have misunderstood this as being some indication lithium is being added to the water supply in Japan, an assertion which is groundless in fact.
While the BBC report is well written there is also a good report on this from the Telegraph published on 30th April:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/5251...
For the original article in the British Journal of Psychiatry see:
http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/194/5...
Useful telephone number for Japanese residents of Japan who speak Japanese or English and are feeling depressed or suicidal:
Inochi no Denwa (Lifeline Telephone Service)：
Japan: 0120-738-556
Tokyo: 3264 4343
Tokyo English Life Line: 03-5774-0992
Comment by kydaisy
May 24th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Im all 4 meds that help people who need it and it,s o.k. by me if individuals use recreational drugs at thier own will as long as not hurtijg anyone,as i myself sometimes partake.But doseing the entire population including babies,children ect by means of thier drinjking water is the worst idea ever.To be started on such a drug as lithium even in small amounts in ur water from such a young age is bound to cause more harm than good.They could just offer it free or at low cost to anyone feeling this severe depression instead of getting the population as a whole hooked on lithium. Not to mention differnt people respond different to meds.Not everyone will have the same effect then they will need to be treated.I had a short stay in a detox center and lithium was what they passed out to most the patients, as amusing as it was there and i did feel the positive effects of this drug, i would not want my bus drive ,kids school teacher, ect. on this drug daily it could get ugly and if they mix ne thing elsee with their "water" it cld be deadly.It cld give a whole new meaning to-dont drink the water there,i thought we only had to worry in mexico.However i am available for the study if they r looking 4 volunteers lol
Comment by J. Edwards
May 24th, 2009 at 10:27 am
Choose Lithium, Choose Life!
Comment by the_kcar
May 28th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
There is a movie, "Serenity", came out in 2005, directed by Joss Whedon – a sci-fi flick. Background on the movie is that there's a sort of rogue ship and crew for hire on varying levels of legal missions. One such mission was stopped due to what are known as "Reavers" – a race of humans who were feral, space-faring cannibals. These Reavers have traveled through the galaxy for years, and it is discovered they had emigrated from a planet, known as "Miranda", which is somehow deemed uninhabitable.
The crew of the Serenity [film name, ship name] go out to this planet, to find a horrible discovery.
The story line goes on to mention a planet whose inhabitants had tendencies to war – and a scientific "solution" for the problem. The solution was, in an attempt to bring peace to the population by filling the atmosphere with a drug designed to suppress aggression. The drug instead suppressed the people's motivation to do anything, and they died of starvation, while "about a tenth of a percent of the population had the opposite reaction" and became the hyper-violent Reavers.
Somehow, this entry just seems to remind me of the film…I don't know why…
Comment by Uncle B
May 28th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
Just had a horrible set of ideas flash through what is left of my mind. The U.S.A. consumes so much illegal drugs they cause drug-wars in other countries! Maybe we are too late for lithium? The amount of alcohol, added to prescription drugs, added to illegal drugs consumption equals a stoned beyond belief nation at any rate! Lithium might not even be noticed! California has flirted with lefgalizing and taxing weed, so what is next? Will a soldier be given a box of reefers as well as a box of smokes like in WWII? I can see it all now, the Chinese Air-force totally in confusion as the stoned American pilots chase their pretty blinking lights! gaddamn are we screwed up or what!
Comment by Surrealworld
May 29th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
Maybe the researchers need to broaden their horizons a bit. There may be other factors, which reduce the suicide rate – such as an older population, socio-economic status, etc. Prisoners don't eat a lot of filet mignon but one would hardly say that the group of people who eat filet mignon aren't prisoners because of the filet mignon. Also, did the researchers look at problems the lithium group may have had compared to the non-lithium group such as muscle tremors, nausea, lack of coordination, poor school-work? Before researchers decide to medicate the whole population – they should maybe just medicate themselves…
Comment by Mark
September 30th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
Some points are perhaps being missed. The difference between an effective dose and a dangerous one – when treating bipolar – is small. the dose in the drinking water is minute – and less than that found already in some spring water – particularly in Italy.
The comment about everyone being "medicated for their own good" already happens in most countries with something that HAS been shown to be harmful – the fluoride in water. Lithium on the other hand is found in many naturally occurring springs – and these too (re: the study based on Italian towns) have tend to link very clearly to higher levels (but still minute compared to a convention Bi-Polar dose) meaning lower levels of suicide and mental health issues.
At the very least the study should be continued and expanded upon to further evaluate the research done so far.