The History of Lithium in Medicine and Psychiatry

Fig. 10.1

Timeline of key figures in relation to lithium (From Malhi and Gershon 2009)

10.5 Summary

The 1950s was a prodigious decade for modern psychopharmacology. The principal efficient molecules were discovered over the course of just a few short years:

Isoniazide, iproniazide, imipramine, etc., for depressive disorders
Neuroleptics (major tranquillizers): phenothiazines (chlorpromazine, thorazine, etc.) and buthirophénones, for psychosis
Anxiolytics (tranquillizers), chlordiazepoxide, diazepam, etc.
And, of course, lithium as the first psychotropic drug (1949) and the very first (and arguably only true) mood stabilizer

Lithium was the first psychotropic drug ever discovered in psychopharmacology and is still used as a first-line treatment in bipolar disorders.

Garrod, Hammond, the brothers Lange, Cade and Schou (Malhi 2009) have all linked their names forever to this revolution in the world of mental health:

Garrod was the first to focus on the role of uric acid in affective disorders and to advocate the use of lithium.
Hammond reported on his use of lithium bromide in treating mania in 1881.
Carl and Fritz Lange proposed the use of lithium to treat recurrent depression in the nineteenth century.
Cade discovered by chance what he believed to be the sedative effect of lithium and experimented with it successfully on manic patients.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Schou and Baastrup confirmed the therapeutic effect of lithium and facilitated its safe and efficient use by developing plasma-level testing.

References

Baastrup PC, Schou M (1967) Lithium as a prophylactic agent. Its effect against recurrent depressions and manic-depressive psychosis. Arch Gen Psychiatry 16(2):162–72

Bauer M, Grof P, Müller-Oerlinghause B (2006) Lithium in neuropsychiatry. The comprehensive guide. IGSLI Informa UK, Abingdon, 532 pagesCrossRef

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