Scientists Say Lithium Should Be Added to Drinking Water to Prevent Suicide

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Because, in an era of rising suicide rates especially among young people, a new study from Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) published in the British Journal of Psychiatry has found a strong link between geographical areas with high levels of lithium in public drinking water and lower suicide rates.

In a press release from BSMS, the study’s lead author Professor Anjum Memon said: “It is promising that higher levels of trace lithium in drinking water may exert an anti-suicidal effect and have the potential to improve community mental health.”

Part funded by King’s College London, the study is a meta-analysis of three decades of research in Austria, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, UK, Japan and USA.

It concludes that lithium’s “protective” abilities could be further tested by “randomised community trials of lithium supplementation of the water supply” in communities with high prevalence of mental health conditions and risk of suicide.

Deliberately lacing the water supply with a mind-altering chemical in some zones might seem like something out of a science fiction novel, but the authors of the report – as other scientists have saidbefore them – think it’s an idea worth experimenting.

The report states: “These findings, which are consistent with the finding in clinical trials that lithium reduces suicide and related behaviours in people with a mood disorder, suggest that naturally occurring lithium in drinking water may have the potential to reduce the risk of suicide and may possibly help in mood stabilisation, particularly in populations with relatively high suicide rates and geographical areas with a greater range of lithium concentration in the drinking water.”

You cannot blame scientists for thinking outside the box on suicide prevention. Our mental health has been deteriorating over lockdown. Current figures show there are around 800,000 suicides a year. It is the second leading cause of death among 15 to 29 year olds globally. Unfortunately, the evidence shows that the isolation and economic stress caused by COVID-19 may well exacerbate this trend and lead to rise in suicides.

“In these unprecedented times of COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent increase in the incidence of mental health conditions, accessing ways to improve community mental health and reduce the incidence of anxiety, depression and suicide is ever more important,” said Prof Memon.

Scientists are not certain exactly how this naturally occurring silver-white, metallic element, found in soil, seawater and rocks and therefore vegetables, grains and water supplies, alters human mood. The suspicion is that it stimulates the growth of nerve cells.

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/...05&utm_medium=social&utm_source=VICE_facebook
 

Riri

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wew well i can't really say whether it's a good idea or not but some mental illnesses are influenced by social problems, surely altering people's chemical balances shouldn't be the first step but one of the lasts
 
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