Lithium in tap water research questioned
July 26, 2011 at 10:49 AM
Lithium in tap water link to lower suicide rates questioned
BSMS epidemiologist Dr Anjum Memon has published research suggesting that there is no clear link between higher levels of lithium in drinking water and lower suicide mortality rates, in contrast to high profile research published from USA in 1990 and Japan in 2009.
The study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry in collaboration with psychiatrists at the University of Cambridge, correlated lithium levels in drinking water samples from 47 areas of the East of England with the recorded suicide rate in each area, for the period 2006-08.
In 2009, a Japanese study (Ohgami et al) suggested a strong correlation between high levels of naturally occurring lithium in drinking water and reduced risk of suicide. This initiated a debate in the scientific literature and print/electronic media on whether preventive supplementation of lithium in drinking water could improve community mental health and wellbeing. Recent research from Austria (Kapusta et al), published at the same time as Dr Memon’s research in the B J Psych also supports this hypothesis.
Professor Peter Tyrer, Editor of B J Psych, says that time would tell whether lithium in drinking water has properties that make it genuinely anti-suicidal, but it is important to present evidence on both sides of the debate to help the clinicians in decision-making.
Dr Memon and colleagues suggest that the hypothesis could also be tested by measuring lithium levels in people who commit self-harm/suicide. Further studies are needed to relate low-level lithium intake from dietary sources to expected serum lithium levels, and to ascertain at what range or threshold, if any, lithium could prevent suicidal behaviour at the population level.
N Kabacs, A Memon, T Obinwa, J Stochl, and J Perez. Lithium in drinking water and suicide rates across the East of England. B J Psych, May 2011; 198, 406-407.
The study was presented at the 10th World Congress of Biological Psychiatry, 29 May – 2 June 2011, Prague, Czech Republic.