Psychiatrist calls for lithium to be added to water

Daithi 1

Happy days

A consultant psychiatrist last night called on Government to add lithium salts to the public water supply in a bid to lower the suicide rate and depression among the general population.
At a mental health forum on “Depression in Rural Ireland” in Ennistymon, Co Clare, Dr Moosajee Bhamjee said that “there is growing scientific evidence that adding trace amounts of the drug lithium to a water supply can lower rates of suicide and depression”.
Lithium is used by doctors as a mood stabiliser in the treatment for depression.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/1202/1224308474582.html

El Weirdo

Urquell

So much for solving the problems, just suppress the symptoms instead.

Why not add Whiskey to the supply. Cure everything.

1984ishere

Too bad I don't trust tap water. Unless you test the water yourself, you should never drink municipal tap water. Those controlling the water supply could be adding anything to it.

My name is URL

It was only a matter of time until it was suggested here.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056279478

Wetai

1984ishere wrote: »

Too bad I don't trust tap water. Unless you test the water yourself, you should never drink municipal tap water. The Government could be adding anything to it.

/tinfoil hat

Adhamh

Actually just fuck everything about this.

Spunge

free drugs ?

i like it

My name is URL

www.flickr.com/photos/clarelabour/5884418547/

Guy on the left is who proposed it.

Just sayin..

up for anything

He must be fecking mad!

Kevin Duffy

Along with the oestrogen that's already in it? So we'll all be happy trannies with moobs, except the wimmin, who will all be frustrated 'cos there are no real men left to give them a good seeing to. Good plan.

1984ishere

Why not just lobotomise the depressed? It worked in the past. Psychiatry is founded upon an extremely scientific foundation of primary knowledge.

They really know exactly how drugs like Zoloft, lithium etc work inside the brain of depressed people.

Screw lithium. Why not just give the people opiates? They used to give babies this gear in the past to shut them up in years gone by.

jiltloop

My name is URL wrote: »

www.flickr.com/photos/clarelabour/5884418547/

Guy on the left is who proposed it.

Just sayin..

Jaysus you could slap a superman t-shirt on him and throw him into the goonies.

Cú Giobach

"..there is always soma, delicious soma, half a gramme for a half-holiday, a gramme for a week-end, two grammes for a trip to the gorgeous East, three for a dark eternity on the moon..."

Yea!!

sgb

We will be paying for water soon, so having a debate as what goes into it is inevitable

1984ishere

Drugs are bad. MMMkay.

Daithi 1

least we'll be happy about it by then....

goat2

and so i am already on medicine for a long term ailment, and if this man gets his way, i will be taking another medicine which could effect the way my medicine works,
and all medicines do not suit all people, some people can have a reaction to certain midicines,
there may be ten people suffering with depression, and there may be ten thousand using the same water supply, so he wants to give medicine to people who do not need in,
it is a mad idea.

Andromeda_111

My name is URL wrote: »

www.flickr.com/photos/clarelabour/5884418547/

Guy on the left is who proposed it.

Just sayin..

:eek::eek:

-Trek-

My name is URL wrote: »

www.flickr.com/photos/clarelabour/5884418547/

Guy on the left is who proposed it.

Just sayin..

He looks legit.

Andromeda_111

jiltloop wrote: »

Jaysus you could slap a superman t-shirt on him and throw him into the goonies.

:pac::pac: I was thinking the same when I saw his pic!

starviewadams

Great,I'll save a shítload on my prescription!

Now if they'd only add citalopram I'd be sorted.

John Doe1

Cú Giobach wrote: »

"..there is always soma, delicious soma, half a gramme for a half-holiday, a gramme for a week-end, two grammes for a trip to the gorgeous East, three for a dark eternity on the moon..."

Yea!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsbBH93Grp0

Saila

Urquell wrote: »

So much for solving the problems, just suppress the symptoms instead.

nail on head

Scruffles

did they get that article right,am thinking that it shoud say he is seeing a consultant pyschiatrist,not that he is one.
lithium coudnt be added to water,as it may intefer with the drugs that people are already prescribed,people may be on lithium already so it woud be overdosing, it may badly interact for some people and in any case why shoud people have chemicals which manipulate neurobiology forced on them?

surprised he isnt thinking adding heroin to the water to take the money away from the dealers and tax teh peoples of ireland.

DonkeyStyle \o/

Would he also recommend lithium to people who don't have depression? What about side effects / allergies / pregnant women / people already on meds?
Also some people drink more water than others.

Dr Bhamjee said: “A recent article in the British Journal of Psychiatry found the beneficial uses of lithium when it was added to the water supply in parts of Texas.”

The same country who famously experimented with LSD in their water supply... not surprised really.

Saila

My name is URL wrote: »

It was only a matter of time until it was suggested here.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056279478

for a minute there I thought I had time traveled, knew I thought I saw a thread on it here somewhere!

Are they trying to solve the future energy crisis by turning people into batteries!

InkSlinger67

Dangerous!

I threw a chunk of pure Lithium into a toilet a few years ago and it cracked the jacks!

I had to pay for it but it was the best money I've ever spent

bleg

Idiot.

DanWall

We will all be charged up like (lithium) batteries.
We already have fluoride and an aluminium derivative for filtration added, we want less chemicals in the water. Have these people got shares in bottled water companies.?

Thrill

Madness.

Daithi 1

What do you expect ? your nothing but bleedin cattle !

ejmaztec

DanWall wrote: »

We will all be charged up like (lithium) batteries.
We already have fluoride and an aluminium derivative for filtration added, we want less chemicals in the water. Have these people got shares in bottled water companies.?

They'll throw some Prozac in as well, so no-one gives a sh1t.

goat2

so people will be having the drug in their tea, coffee, even the milk we drink as the animals are trough fed water during summer months, it will even be in the meat, we will all be turned into zombies, as some like drinking lots of tea or coffee or water, we will be even showering and bathing in the drug, even our pets would be on the drug,
babies fomula is put in preboiled water,
what will this man think of next,
sorry, he is not thinking

1984ishere

ejmaztec wrote: »

They'll throw some Prozac in as well, so no-one gives a sh1t.

Does Prozac and other dubious drugs of this nature not actually increase the risk of suicide?

My name is URL

goat2 wrote: »

what will this man think of next,

He might come up with some wacky idea to have everyone fed a chemical so that a handful of retards that don't brush their teeth escape some of the consequences of their own self-negligence.

I'm not a chemist, but if he added enough "supplements" to the water, he'd soon have a population ready for harvesting for soylent green!

TheZohanS

Deleted User wrote: »

I'm not a chemist, but if he added enough "supplements" to the water, he'd soon have a population ready for harvesting for soylent green!

Well I am a chemist, technically unlicensed, and my professional opinion is that heroin would be much more effective. You can't beat a cup of heroin to start your day.

mlumley

Some Viagra would go down well. Oops, sorry, go up well i mean.:D:D:D

mlumley

mlumley wrote: »

Some Viagra would go down well. Oops, sorry, go up well i mean.:D:D:D

Sure! Just need to redesign the urinals to take into account the new trajectories of piss.

Cavehill Red

Okay, someone has to be the devil's advocate here.

Might as well be me.

If we must have additives in our water (and we already do) then it might as well be lithium which would be likely to counteract the tidal wave of suicidal ideation affecting this country.

It seems to me that saving lives is somewhat more important than preventing tooth cavities (by damaging teeth enamel) which is what the current additive (fluoride) does.

So I'm all behind Moosamjee Bhamjee on this one, so long as they simply swap over lithium for the fluoride (industrial waste) that's already in there.

I'd rather have a drug in my water that works to save lives than a drug that doesn't work in saving my teeth.

CrazyRabbit

Replace Lithium with THC and I think they might be on to something.

tony 2 tone

1984ishere wrote: »

Does Prozac and other dubious drugs of this nature not actually increase the risk of suicide?

No

My name is URL

Cavehill Red wrote: »

If we must have additives in our water (and we already do) then it might as well be lithium which would be likely to counteract the tidal wave of suicidal ideation affecting this country.

Suicide is hardly the main cause of death in this country.

If the idea is simply to save the lives of a small percentage; sure then why not add aspirin to the water?.. that would prevent far more deaths.

Cavehill Red

Cavehill Red wrote: »

Okay, someone has to be the devil's advocate here.

Might as well be me.

If we must have additives in our water (and we already do) then it might as well be lithium which would be likely to counteract the tidal wave of suicidal ideation affecting this country.

It seems to me that saving lives is somewhat more important than preventing tooth cavities (by damaging teeth enamel) which is what the current additive (fluoride) does.

So I'm all behind Moosamjee Bhamjee on this one, so long as they simply swap over lithium for the fluoride (industrial waste) that's already in there.

I'd rather have a drug in my water that works to save lives than a drug that doesn't work in saving my teeth.

Hmmm


Rather than find out the cause of the problem, you'd just try to "cure" it with chemicals.

Using the tooth decay issue, it would be easier to just teach parents to give their children fewer sweets than to treat their teeth after they have been attacked by sugar & whatever causing decay.

Look to the root cause rather than try to try to treat the symptoms!

It will be more beneficial and much cheaper and better for all concerned.

1984ishere

tony 2 tone wrote: »

No

I beg to differ. Go onto the Zoloft website and read the big black box issued by the Federal US Government on their page. I bet that was put there because they wanted to:rolleyes:

Besides, I have a feeling this will be shot down. Legislative and Judicial branches of various Federal Governments tend to take a very dim view of psychiatry and it's role in civil liberties.

The Supreme court would never let something like this through. Not without very convincing evidence for it's introduction.

Suicide isn't as simple as more lithium = better I am afraid. You don't have to be depressed to commit suicide.

InkSlinger67

bleg wrote: »

Idiot.

I stand by my transaction - breaking a school toilet for the nominal fee of £5 (repairs) after stealing over £10 worth of Lithium makes it all worthwhile.

I'd go into the other things I done with school chemicals while working there during Summer Holidays but bed is calling. Best time of my life!

Daithi 1

You still banging on about that ? :mad:

Jesus Wept

My name is URL wrote: »

www.flickr.com/photos/clarelabour/5884418547/

Guy on the left is who proposed it.

Just sayin..

He looks delighted tbf.

Sid_Justice

1984ishere wrote: »

Does Prozac and other dubious drugs of this nature not actually increase the risk of suicide?

tony 2 tone wrote: »

No

1984ishere wrote: »

I beg to differ
Suicide isn't as simple as more lithium = better I am afraid. You don't have to be depressed to commit suicide.

Yes it is true, anti-depressants are known to have the paradoxical and counter-intuitive effects of increasing suicidality for a short term period after their first prescription, especially in young people. It's to pinpoint the cause and effect, people who are on antidepressants are usually depressed, which is a very strong risk factor for suicide. One of the theories I am familiar with is the idea that antidepressants take a while to have an antidepressant effect (up to 6 weeks) but within this period, the individual may have increased energy (apathy is another characteristic of depression). So you take very depressed people, give them a short boost of energy and will power, and they carry out their suicide ideation. Whereas the untreated, who are extremely depressed, simply don't have the 'energy' to carry out their suicidal thoughts. Just a theory mind you. 1000s of people on antidepressants will tell you that antidepressants have significantly improved their quality of life.

My name is URL wrote: »

Suicide is hardly the main cause of death in this country.

If the idea is simply to save the lives of a small percentage; sure then why not add aspirin to the water?.. that would prevent far more deaths.

Suicide is actually the number one killer of males aged 15-25. I believe it is more than double Road traffic accidents. There were over 400 suicides last year.

Most people who are at risk for CVD are already on prophylactic anti-platelet drugs like aspirin. Aspirin is toxic to many people, especially at high does it is used to be effective. You can't put aspirin in the water, because for it to have ANY effect it would have to be quite concentrated. This would be expensive and it would also cause a suite of side effects, some extremely serious in many parts of the population.

Deleted User wrote: »

Hmmm


Rather than find out the cause of the problem, you'd just try to "cure" it with chemicals.

Using the tooth decay issue, it would be easier to just teach parents to give their children fewer sweets than to treat their teeth after they have been attacked by sugar & whatever causing decay.

Look to the root cause rather than try to try to treat the symptoms!

It will be more beneficial and much cheaper and better for all concerned.

The cause of suicide is not known, and will not be known in our life time if at all. The cause of depression is also unknown, although there are a range of theories. What they do know is, for the majority of people with depressive type illnesses, anti-depressants are very useful and productive and worth the side effects and risks.

People know what the causes of heart disease are, yet many engage in behaviour that increases their risk. If you think it would be cheaper to get millinos of people to change their behaviour than to dump chemicals in a reservoir you're sorely mistaken.

Cavehill Red wrote:

Okay, someone has to be the devil's advocate here.

Might as well be me.

If we must have additives in our water (and we already do) then it might as well be lithium which would be likely to counteract the tidal wave of suicidal ideation affecting this country.

It seems to me that saving lives is somewhat more important than preventing tooth cavities (by damaging teeth enamel) which is what the current additive (fluoride) does.

So I'm all behind Moosamjee Bhamjee on this one, so long as they simply swap over lithium for the fluoride (industrial waste) that's already in there.

I'd rather have a drug in my water that works to save lives than a drug that doesn't work in saving my teeth.

I would presume Moosamjee Bhamjee's comments were slightly facetious and more designed to bring attention to the issue rather than be taken 100% seriously. Lithium is more a mood stabilizing drug rather than an anti-depressant, more useful in treatment and prophylaxis of mania and bipolar disorder rather than depression specifically. As the man said above, mania,bipolar and depression aren't the only causes of suicide. Schizophrenia would be another mental illness associated with suicide. However, trace amounts of Lithium should be useful for those with a predisposition to mood based mental illness. But the drug has a narrow therapeutic index, such that if someone drank A LOT of water in a small space of time they could cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, tremor etc. Those with kidney problems would be doubley at risk to toxicity.

I think what is important is that more people who are showing the signs and symptoms of depressive illness should come forward to seek treatment, which isn't just pharamalogical. the structures need to be put in place from schools, jobs, colleges to government and society level so that people with depressive or mood illnesses have adequate support.

One clear step would be an attempt to remove the stigma from mental illness and better acceptance of the conditions as legitimate illnesses rather than "something that you can just snap out of".