The Science and Practice of Lithium Therapy

Gin S. Malhi, BSc Hons), MBChB, FRCPsych, FRANZCP, MD is Professor of Psychiatry and Chair in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Sydney. He is Department Head at Royal North Shore Hospital where he is Director of the CADE Clinic, and Medical Director of the Mood Disorders Unit at Northside Clinic, Sydney. After graduating with degrees in Pharmacology and Medicine from the University of Manchester (UK), he completed his psychiatry training in Cambridge and then the Bethlem and Maudsley Hospitals in London. As a Clinical Lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry (IOP) in London he pursued research in depression and psychosurgery, and upon moving to Sydney (Australia) in 1999 he began research in neuroimaging and bipolar disorder at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). Since 2003 he been a Chief Investigator on successive National Health Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Program Grants and during this time he has published more than 400 papers and 20 books/book chapters. After serving as Editor-in-Chief of Acta Neuropsychiatrica he has been the Editor-in-Chief of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry since 2010 and is now also an Editor of Bipolar Disorders. In 2013 he received the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) Senior Academic Researcher Prize, and then in 2015 the RANZCP College Citation, and in the same year the Mogens Schou Award from the International Society of Bipolar Disorders for Education and Teaching. In 2016, in recognition of his many achievements, he received the Distinguished Professor Award from the University of Sydney. Marc Masson, MD, is a Psychiatrist and the Medical Director of the Nightingale Hospital Paris-Clinique du Château de Garches and Consultant, Service Hospitalo-Universitaire, Centre Hospitalier Sainte-Anne, Paris, France. After graduating from Bordeaux University in France, he worked as a psychiatrist at Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris (APHP). He has served as General Secretary of The Société Médico-Psychologique and Editor-in-chief Assistant of The Annales Médico-Psychologiques and is now the Editor-in-Chief of L'Encéphale. His main areas of interest are bipolar disorders, psychopharmacology, neuropsychiatry and the history of psychiatry, and has published 4 books and 45 papers.

Section I: Science of Lithium: The Ion : Lithium.- Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of lithium.- Lithium : neurotransmission and cellular mechanisms pathways underlying neuroprogression in bipolar disorder.- Lithium on gene expression modulation.- Neuroimaging and lithium.- Conclusion: overview of potential mechanisms of action of lithium in bipolar disorder.- Section II: Practice of Lithium Therapy.- Introduction of lithium in Medicine and Psychiatry.- Lithium Response variability.- Lithium Response variability: Pharmacogenomics studies.- Lithium Response variability: Biomarkers.- Lithium in acute and maintenance treatment of bipolar disorders.- Lithium and suicide prevention.- Lithium in Bipolar disorders international guidelines.- Lithium and pregnancy.- Lithium in children and adolescents.- Short and mid-term side effects of lithium.- Lithium, kidneys, renal failure.- Lithium intoxication.- Discontinuation and re-use of lithium.- Conclusion : overview of indications and monitoring of lithium in bipolar disorders.

"This is a clear and comprehensive guide to the clinical use of lithium based on our current understanding of its mechanisms of actions and therapeutic effectiveness. ... The intended audience is anyone working in the field of mood disorders and involved with the use of lithium therapy. The book is a valuable resource for psychiatrists, psychiatric residents, medical students, mental health professionals, patients, and their families, as well as health professionals who treat patients who are being prescribed this agent." (Michael Easton, Doody's Book Reviews, March, 2017)

"This book is a comprehensive review of lithium, a simple but powerful molecule with profound benefits to patients. ... It will be of interest for clinicians and researchers worldwide as well as to patients and their families- the recipients of lithium therapy." (Branka Aukst Margetic, Alcoholism and Psychiatry Research, Vol. 53 (1), 2017)