When used correctly, lithium unquestionably produces the most dramatic benefits of any medication used in psychiatry. The aim of this practical guide is to provide patients and their families with up-to-date information about the correct use of lithium - essential knowledge they will require. A special and very important chapter deals with lithium’s unique antisuicidal effect. When treated with lithium properly, most patients experience nothing unpleasant, but lithium has a potential to induce adverse effects. A patient who takes lithium without adequate instruction can thus run into trouble, just as a physician who is not well trained in its use. Authored by a renowned expert on lithium treatment, this book grew out of enormous experience and out of conviction that a well-informed patient is a critical element in effective and safe lithium treatment. In non-technical language, this guide is a complete information source for manic-depressive patients, their families and the doctors and nurses concerned with their care. (A Karger "Publishing Highlights 1890–2015" title)