TY  - JOUR
T1  - LIthium in the treatment of schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders
AU  - Prien RJ
Y1  - 1979/07/20
N1  - 10.1001/archpsyc.1979.01780080026007
JO  - Archives of General Psychiatry
SP  - 852
EP  - 853
VL  - 36
IS  - 8
N2  - Lithium has been used in the treatment of schizophrenic and schizoaffective disorders with inconclusive results. Interpretation of the results has been limited either by inadequate sample sizes or by the scarcity of adequately controlled trials. An additional problem in interpreting studies of the therapeutic use of lithium in schizoaffective disorders arises from the lack of universally accepted criteria for classifying such disorders at the time of the study.SCHIZOPHRENIA 
    In general, there are three prevailing opinions regarding the efficacy of lithium in schizophrenia: 1. Lithium is not effective in schizophrenia and may actually be deleterious because of the increased susceptibility of schizophrenics to lithium-induced CNS toxicity.1-3 2. Schizophrenic patients who respond to lithium treatment are in reality "atypical" manic-depressives. Since severe mania may mimic schizophrenia (including appearance of first-rank Schneiderian symptoms), a favorable response to lithium indicates a need for rediagnosis.4-6 3. There is a subgroup of "pure"
SN  - 0003-990X
M3  - doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.1979.01780080026007
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.1979.01780080026007
ER  -