Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-31T15:50:29.472Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Lithium in Non-Manic-Depressives: Antiaggressive Effect and Red Blood Cell Lithium Values

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Ernest P. Worrall ,
J. P. Moody  and
Graham J. Naylor
Ernest P. Worrall
Affiliation:
The University, Dundee, DD1 4HN
J. P. Moody
Affiliation:
Royal Dundee Liff Hospital, Dundee, DD2 5NF
Graham J. Naylor
Affiliation:
The University, Dundee DD1 4HN, Scotland
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Lithium was given to eight aggressive, non-manic-depressive female defectives in a double-blind placebo-controlled study. The group as a whole showed a reduction in aggression scores while on lithium (p < 0.01): three patients became less aggressive, one became worse and two were unchanged. Both affective and predatory aggression seemed to be reduced. Two patients had to be withdrawn from the trial at an early stage because of the development of neurotoxicity.

R.B.C./plasma lithium ratios showed a wide inter-patient variation in this group of non-manic-depressives.

The study adds further weight to evidence that lithium has an antiaggressive effect at normal therapeutic dosage in non-manic-depressives. The implications of this for hypotheses about the mode of action of lithium and its putative specificity for manic-depressive psychosis are discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 126 , Issue 5 , May 1975 , pp. 464 - 468
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1975 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Dostal, T. (1971) Antiaggressive effect of lithium salts in mentally retarded adolescents. Proceedings of the 4th U.E.P. Congress, Stockholm. Stockholm: Almqvist and Wiksell.Google Scholar
Elizur, A., Shopsin, B., Gershon, S. & Ehlenberger, A. (1972) Intra: extracellular lithium ratios and clinical course in affective states. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 13, 947–52.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Glen, A. I. M. & Reading, H. W. (1973) Regulatory action of lithium in manic depressive illness. Lancet, ii, 1239–41.Google Scholar
Johnson, G., Gershon, S. & Hekimian, L. J. (1968) Controlled evaluation of lithium and chlorpromazine in the treatment of manic states: an interim report. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 9, 563–73.Google Scholar
Mendels, J. & Frazer, A. (1973) Intracellular lithium concentration and clinical response: towards a membrane theory of depression. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 10, 9–18.Google Scholar
Morrison, S. D., Erwin, C. W., Gianturco, D. T. & Gerber, C.J. (1973) Effect of lithium on combative behaviour in humans. Diseases of the Nervous System, 34, 186–9.Google Scholar
Prien, R. F., Point, P., Caffey, E. G. & Klett, J. C. (1972) Comparison of lithium carbonate and chlorpromazine in the treatment of mania. Archives of General Psychiatry, 26, 146–53.Google Scholar
Pybus, J. & Bowers, G. N. (1970) Measurement of serum lithium by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Clinical Chemistry, 16, 139–43.Google Scholar
Reid, A. H. (1972) Psychoses in adult mental defectives: I. Manic depressive psychosis. British Journal of Psychiatry, 120, 205–12.Google ScholarPubMed
Schou, M. (1963) Normothymotics—mood normalizers. British Journal of Psychiatry, 109, 803–9.Google Scholar
Schou, M. (1968) Special review: lithium in psychiatric therapy and prophylaxis. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 6, 67–95.Google Scholar
Sheard, M. H. (1970) Effects of lithium on foot shock aggression in rats. Nature, 228, 284–5.Google Scholar
Sheard, M. H. (1971) Effect of lithium on human aggression. Nature, 230, 113–4.Google Scholar
Sheard, M. H. (1973) Aggressive behaviour: modification by amphetamine, p-chlorophenylalanine and lithium in rats. Agressologie, 14, 323–6.Google Scholar
Shopsin, B. & Gershon, S. (1973) Pharmacology—toxicology of the lithium ion. In Lithium: its Role in Psychiatric Research and Treatment (ed. Gershon, S. & Shopsin, B.). New York: Plenum Press.Google Scholar
Tupin, J. P., Smith, D. B., Clanon, T. L., Kim, L. I., Nugent, A. & Groupe, A. (1973) The long-term use of lithium in aggressive prisoners. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 14, 311–7.Google Scholar
Weischer, M. L. (1969) Über die antiagressive Wirkung von Lithium. Psychopharmacologia, 15, 245.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.