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In 1817, lithium salts were first used by doctors to treat gout with the doctors eventually discovering it was also capable of stabilizing moods. One documentation has it that one doctor felt that gout was the cause of mood disorders. But it wasn't until 1949 that John Cade, an Australian psychiatrist, actually published a paper on the use of lithium as a successful treatment of acute mania. Medically approved in 1970 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the chemical element lithium carbonate was officially proven as a specific treatment for manic depression—today referred to bipolar disorder.

LITHIUM PROPERTIES
A soft alkali metal, lithium is the least dense solid element and the lightest of all metals. Scientific theory has it that lithium-6 and lithium-7 were the first few elements synthesized in the Big Bank, with its quantity decreasing since then—active studies still in astronomy—and is less common in the universe than any of the first 20 elements. From this base, lithium salts began to be used as mood stabilizers and for the treatment for bipolar disorder— lithium carbonate (Li2CO3), lithium citrate, and lithium orotate.

For approximately 50-years, lithium has been used successfully to treat manic-depressed individuals with no actual proof that bipolar disorder is caused by a lithium deficiency in the body. It just happens to work with no rhyme or reason. At least until 1998 when the University of Wisconsin found out that it had to do with nerve cells in the brain and also receptors for the neurotransmitter glutamate. Lithium has a dual effect on these receptors to provide a stable and healthy level.

SIDE EFFECTS OF LITHIUM
Because lithium is a salt, adequate water and fluid levels are necessary along with dietary salt. The body will "hoard" natural lithium if the body does not receive enough salt through dietary sources, while too little water will decrease urination which eventually leads to lithium build-up. Also, serious  interactions can occur between lithium and drugs such as Haldol, Advil, Motrin, Aleve, diuretics, and SSRI antidepressants such as Prozac, Luvox, and so on.

Weight gain is a side effect of Lithium, because endocrinological mechanisms lead to increased fat storage. It also can cause a lithium-induced "hypothyroidism" which slows down a person's metabolism level which in turn causes the body to burn less calories. A recent study by Massout et all in 1999 has brought forth information about a receptor known as 5-HT1B, considered a target for lithium. These receptors control the body's system which distributes the neurotransmitter serotonin, very important for the appetite and depression chemistry. So if lithium fights one chemistry—depression—it will also be related to the side effect of weight gain. But overall, its positive effects on manic depression is more than worth the battle.