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