Lithium in the prevention of suicide in mood disorders: updated systematic review and meta-analysis
If suicidal thoughts have ever been part of my illness, does lithium's suicide-prevention evidence change what you'd recommend for me?
Top of the evidence hierarchy, independently funded. how we score evidence
Across 48 randomized trials including 6,674 people with mood disorders, those taking lithium were far less likely to die by suicide than those on placebo (odds ratio 0.13) and less likely to die from any cause (odds ratio 0.38).
Worth asking
If suicidal thoughts have ever been part of my illness, does lithium's suicide-prevention evidence change what you'd recommend for me?
What it is FDA approved for
Read off the label. Trial duration and approval year are shown only where they were recorded — never inferred.
- Treatment of manic episodes of bipolar disorder
- Maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder
Source
Lithium in the prevention of suicide in mood disorders: updated systematic review and meta-analysis — Cipriani A, et al. (2013)
Top-tier peer-reviewed journal
Read the source: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.f3646
DOI: 10.1136/bmj.f3646
How this was scored
- Study design
- Meta-analysis of randomised trials
- Funding
- Independently funded
- Published in
- Top-tier peer-reviewed journal
- Sample size
- 6,674
- Preregistered
- No
- Conflicts disclosed
- No
- Independent of proponent
- Yes
- Retracted
- No
Read the full scoring rubric, including what it can't tell you.
Published August 19, 2026.
Questions
How strong is the evidence behind this?
Resolv rates this source "gold standard". Top of the evidence hierarchy, independently funded. It scores 88 out of 100 on our published rubric. The score is calculated from recorded facts about the source — study design, funding, publication venue, sample size, preregistration — not typed in by an editor.
What is the source for this?
Lithium in the prevention of suicide in mood disorders: updated systematic review and meta-analysis — Cipriani A, et al. (2013). Published in: Top-tier peer-reviewed journal. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.f3646. The full source is linked on this page so you can read it yourself.
Who paid for this research, and does that matter?
Study design: Meta-analysis of randomised trials. Funding: Independently funded. The researchers were independent of whoever benefits from the result. Industry sponsorship is one of the most reliably measured biases in medicine, which is why funding carries real weight in the score rather than sitting in a footnote.
Is lithium (Lithobid, Eskalith), lithobid, eskalith FDA approved?
Yes — FDA approved for Treatment of manic episodes of bipolar disorder, Maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder. Approval is for a specific indication, not for everything the drug is prescribed for.
Is this medical advice?
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.