Challenges in assessing the therapeutic benefit of lithium in children and adolescents with bipolar disorder.

Abstract

The systematic review by Duffy et\xa0al.1 documents the paucity of data supporting the therapeutic use of lithium in children (people under 18 years of age) with bipolar disorder. The lack of clear-cut evidence of efficacy is a notable discrepancy between children and adults in current psychopharmacology. In adults, lithium is a standard treatment of bipolar disorder, with proven efficacy for both acute symptom control and prevention of recurrence. In children, only four randomized controlled clinical trials have been reported, of which only one was placebo-controlled. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.