Lithium is stigmatized due to outdated perceptions of severe side effects (like tremors, kidney/thyroid issues) from high doses in the past, making it seem dangerous; patient-reported emotional numbing; lack of familiarity by some doctors; and the general stigma around mental illness itself, leading to misconceptions that it's a "dirty drug" or that newer treatments are always better, despite evidence it's highly effective and often safer long-term than alternatives.
Addressing the Stigma
The stigma surrounding lithium largely stems from misconceptions about its side effects and toxicity.
It's true, lithium was known for ghastly side effects; lots of them, and bad: thyroid and kidney disorders, brain fog, tremors, GI issues, weight gain, and more.
Much of the stigma of bipolar disorder is due to a lack of an understanding of what bipolar disorder is. This lack of education about the condition has caused laypeople to label any sort of erratic, emotional, or self-destructive behavior as “being bipolar,” which is quite offensive and patently false.
The overall conclusion, however, is that lithium does not routinely stand out as the most effective mood stabilizer and, in depression- predominant patients, may not even be the most effective mood stabilizer we have. Most lithium treated patients, estimated between 67-90%, experience side effects (15).
Results: Adherent (n=39) and previously non-adherent patients (n=33) showed a high level of concordance in their rank ordering of reasons for considering stopping taking lithium (Kendall's W=0.059; P=0.001), with 'bothered by the idea that moods were controlled by medication', 'bothered by the idea of a chronic illness ...
Lithium has been also among the oldest psychiatric treatments. Its use in the 19th century was not widespread, but already then some authors pointed to its benefits in various forms of mood disorders.
You can use a 48 hour rule where you wait at least 2 full days with 2 nights sleep before acting on risky decisions. Review your decision to avoid a tempting, but risky, behaviour.
Schizophrenia is arguably one of the most stigmatized psychiatric disorders, with patients frequently seeing the burden of stigmatization as a “second illness.” Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among the main aspects of the stigma toward schizophrenia.
So, it makes sense that genetics would also play a role in the number of famous people with bipolar disorder. The condition can be triggered by a high-stress life event, lack of sleep, or drug and alcohol use, which fits the lifestyle of some celebrities with bipolar.
Results indicate that such a course of lithium in normals induces dysphoric mood change and psychomotor slowing, without significant relationship to either plasma or RBC lithium concentrations.
While copper and lithium are commonly overlooked causes of anger, irritability, and rage, they aren't the only causes. In every case, a complete functional evaluation should be initiated.
During over half a century, science has shown that lithium is the most efficacious treatment for bipolar disorder but despite this, its prescription has consistently declined internationally during recent decades to approximately 35% ever use or less of patients with bipolar disorder.
Substantial affect and mood changes are induced by lithium carbonate. Lethargy, dysphoria, a loss of interest in interacting with others and the environment, and a state of increased mental confusion were reported. No generalized effects were found in the responses to the personality inventories.
If you have the right amount of lithium in your blood, you probably will not have any problems with your medicine. However, some people find it slows down their thinking or makes them feel a bit “numb”. Sometimes it's hard to know if this is because the lithium is helping to control your mood (if you have mania).
Anorexia Nervosa – Highest Mortality Rate of Any Mental Disorder: Why? While all eating disorders are dangerous mental health conditions, anorexia nervosa (AN) has the unfortunate distinction of being the deadliest eating disorder—and, by some accounts, the deadliest psychiatric disorder.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Arguably, the most misunderstood mental illness out there is obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD. And if it doesn't take the number one spot, it's certainly up there vying for the title.
The stigma surrounding substance use disorder is deeply entrenched and serves as a barrier to help-seeking for substance use disorder and open conversations on the topic. Stigma is commonly broken into three categories: 1) social stigma; 2) self-stigma; and, 3) structural stigma.
Those with bipolar I depression were mainly hospitalized in summer and winter, whereas for bipolar II depression most admissions for depression occurred in the spring and summer.
Watching someone you love struggle with Bipolar Disorder can be equally challenging and exhausting. Seeing your loved one experience hopelessness, frequent crying spells, social and career frustrations, and feelings of worthlessness can be heartbreaking.
Bipolar disorder is the most likely psychiatric disorder to be passed down from family. If one parent has bipolar disorder, there's a 10% chance that their child will develop the illness. If both parents have bipolar disorder, the likelihood of their child developing bipolar disorder rises to 40%.
The term “bipolar disorder” was first introduced during the third revision of the DSM in 1980, when psychiatrists agreed to do away with the term “manic-depressive.” Using the word, “manic” often led patients to be described as “maniacs,” a label fraught with stigma and judgment.