Lithium has been used as a prophylactic or maintenance agent in the treatment of manic depressive disorder since the 1960s. However, epidemiological studies have shown that, despite its use, there has been no reduction in the number of admissions for affective episodes. Admissions for mania were found to increase or remain the same over 1970"81 (Symonds & Williams, 1981; Dickson & Kendell, 1986). Naturalistic follow-up studies of patients on lithium also fail to show a good outcome and fmd no difference between patients who are prescribed lithium and those who are not (Marker & Mander, 1989; Harrow et a!, 1990).
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Joanna Moncrieff (1995) studied this question.
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