The impact of the discovery of lithium on psychiatric thought and practice in the USA and Europe

Abstract

The discovery of lithium has had a major impact on modern psychiatry. By launching the psychopharmacology revolution, lithium forced psychiatrists to become more adept at diagnosis. Lithium research has also provided a window into secular changes in bipolar illness which adversely impact response, produced pharmacoeconomic data on the social costs of psychiatric illness, and played a role in the birth of patient-run advocacy movements. In addition, the development of lithium has demonstrated the closely intertwined purposes of clinical and basic research, and the continued importance of research in the clinical setting.