A short history of lithium, and its remarkable impact on mood disorders | Explainer | ABC News

Wed, 20 Aug 2025 18:24:02 +0000

The drug lithium has had a remarkable impact on our lives, becoming the gold standard treatment for bipolar disorder and greatly reducing the risk of suicide. But what is less well known is its history as a cure-all, its presence in mineral springs and how it was a key ingredient in the soft drink 7Up when it was launched in 1920s.

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#LithiumExplainer

Lithium is not just used in batteries — it can also have a remarkable effect on our mood.

In the 1940s, Australian doctor John Cade discovered lithium to be a highly effective treatment for what was then called manic depression.

Today, it's considered the gold-standard treatment for bipolar disorder.

Walter Brown, a clinical psychiatrist and professor at Brown University in the US, says when lithium-based medication works, "it's extraordinarily effective".

"It really turns people's lives around."

Lithium medication cannot only act as a mood stabiliser, but also greatly reduces the risk of suicide, a benefit often not seen in other medications.

Since the risk of suicide is about 20 times higher in patients with bipolar disorder than the general population, it's safe to say Dr Cade's discovery has saved millions of lives worldwide.

Lithium is the lightest metal of the periodic table. It's found naturally in nearly all rocks, as well as soil and still bodies of water.

It often makes its way into vegetables, grains, spices and drinking water — and in the original recipe for the soft drink 7Up.

Launched as "Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda" in 1929, 7Up contained lithium citrate, one of the many ingestible "salt" forms of the metal.

7Up stopped adding lithium citrate to its formula in 1948. Until then, though, it was seen as a health drink.

In the late 19th to early 20th centuries, lithium was seen a bit of a "cure all"; a healthy added extra to pop in pretty much anything, kind of like the turmeric of its day.

It was common practice for companies to bottle water from mineral springs and sell it as a take-home remedy.

But people have believed in the curative properties of mineral waters long before that.

"The ancient Greeks, probably Romans, also Native Americans, did bathe in mineral waters that probably contained lithium," Professor Brown said.

All those naturally occurring lithium salts that found their way into the groundwater would be especially present in mineral springs and as a health drink.

And while the element of lithium itself was yet to be discovered, those cultures would attribute healing properties to the mineral springs.

"Soranus of Ephesus, a medical doctor from the second century, prescribed mineral waters actually for people who were manic and had other psychiatric problems," Professor Brown said.

It's now thought that there may be some truth to the medical benefits of mineral springs due to the presence of lithium salts.

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