Comments on: Lithium Levels in Drinking Water Help Reduce Suicide

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 20:32:35 +0000

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.

By: Surrealworld

Surrealworld — Fri, 29 May 2009 21:08:47 +0000

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…

By: Uncle B

Uncle B — Thu, 28 May 2009 21:24:42 +0000

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!

By: the_kcar

the_kcar — Thu, 28 May 2009 21:05:01 +0000

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…

By: J. Edwards

J. Edwards — Sun, 24 May 2009 16:27:01 +0000

Choose Lithium, Choose Life!