The American journal of psychiatry
-
Review Meta Analysis
Lithium in the prevention of suicidal behavior and all-cause mortality in patients with mood disorders: a systematic review of randomized trials.
Observational studies suggest that long-term lithium treatment has a strong antisuicidal effect in mood disorders, but it is uncertain whether this association is a genuine therapeutic effect or is due to confounding factors in nonrandomized studies. The authors conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials to investigate the effect of lithium, compared to placebo and other active treatments, on the risk of suicide, deliberate self-harm, and all-cause mortality in patients with mood disorder. ⋯ Lithium is effective in the prevention of suicide, deliberate self-harm, and death from all causes in patients with mood disorders.