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The Effects of Chronic Lithium Treatment on Psychomotor Performance Related to Driving

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Simon Hatcher ,
Ruth Sims  and
David Thompson
Simon Hatcher*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Leeds, Leeds
Ruth Sims
Affiliation:
High Royds Hospital, Menston, Ilkley
David Thompson
Affiliation:
Malham House Day Hospital, Leeds
*
∗Department of Liaison Psychiatry, Leeds General Infirmary, Great George Street, Leeds LSI 3EX
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Extract

A group of 16 psychiatric out-patients in remission, who had been taking lithium carbonate as their sole medication for at least three months, were compared with a control group of 22 healthy volunteers. On a computerised driving simulator which produced measures of reaction time, tracking ability and mistakes made, the patient group had a significantly slower reaction time. Patients should be warned therefore that lithium may affect their ability to drive or operate machinery and that psychomotor impairment and sedation are not synonymous.

Type
Brief Reports
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 157 , Issue 2 , August 1990 , pp. 275 - 278
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1990 

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