Suicide Risk in Bipolar Disorder: A Brief Review.

Bipolar disorders (BDs) are prevalent mental health illnesses that affect about 1-5% of the total population, have a chronic course and are associated with a markedly elevated premature mortality. One of the contributors for the decreased life expectancy in BD is suicide. Accordingly, the rate of suicide among BD patients is approximately 10-30 times higher than the corresponding rate in the general population. Extant research found that up to 20% of (mostly untreated) BD subjects end their life by suicide, and 20-60% of them attempt suicide at least one in their lifetime. In our paper we briefly recapitulate the current knowledge on the epidemiological aspects of suicide in BD as well as factors associated with suicidal risk in BD. Furthermore, we also discuss concisely the possible means of suicide prevention in BD.

[New facts of long-term prophylaxis for bipolar affective disorder]. / Neue Fakten zur Phasenprophylaxe der bipolar affektiven Erkrankung.

Lithium and with restrictions, carbamazepine, valproic acid, lamotrigine, olanzapine, aripiprazole and quetiapine, are approved in Germany for maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder. Lithium is the only drug that (I) proved to be effective for the prevention of depressive as well as manic episodes in state-of-the-art studies without an enriched design and that (II) is approved for the maintenance treatment of bipolar disorders without restrictions. It (III) is also the only drug which is recommended for maintenance treatment by the current German S3 guidelines on bipolar disorders with the highest degree of recommendation (A) and (IV) is the only drug with a well proven suicide preventive effect. Hence, lithium is the mood stabilizer of first choice. No patient should be deprived of lithium without a specific reason. Side effects and risks are manageable if both the physician and the patient are well informed. Detailed and practical information on a safe use of lithium can be found in the S3 guidelines on bipolar disorders. For patients who do not respond sufficiently to lithium, have contraindications or non-tolerable side effects, other mood stabilizers should be used. Restrictions in their respective approval as well as specific side effects and risks have to be taken into account. Because maintenance treatment is a long-term treatment, particular concern should be paid to drugs with the potential risk of a metabolic syndrome, particularly atypical antipsychotics.

[Determination of twenty one elements in lithium hexafluorophosphate by ICP-AES].

One gram (+/- 0.0001 g) of lithium hexafluorophosphate was weighed exactly under dry atmosphere and was dissolved with an adequate amount of dimethyl carbonate (DMC). After the sample solution was pretreated with a series of methods, Be, Cu, Pb, Ca, Zr, Co, Mg, V, Ti, Mo, Ni, Mn, Sr, Zn, K, Al, Ba, Cd, Fe, Cr and Na were determined by ICP-AES. The results show that the recoveries of standard addition were 93.3%-102.1%, and the relative standard deviations (n = 11) were 0%-3.56%. The method is efficient, accurate and easy to operate. It has been applied to the determination of lithium hexafluorophosphate products with satisfactory results.