Bipolar mood disorder and lithium treatment: personal narration in the context of some anniversaries

Abstract

The anniversaries and associated persons of bipolar mood disorder (manic-depressive illness) and lithium treatment were discussed.
1854 year (170th anniversary): the concept of manic-depressive illness: Jules Ballairger (folie double forme); Jean-Pierre Falret (folie circulaire); 1859 year (165th anniversary): the application of lithium in the treatment of rheumatic gout – Alfred Barrod; 1899 year (125th anniversary): the dichotomic concept of psychiatric disorders – Emil Kraepelin (manisch-depressives Irresein, dementia praecox); 1929 year (95th anniversary): the introduction of the „7-up” drink containing lithium; 1934 year (90th anniversary): the concept of bipolar disorder – Karl Kleist (zweipolig); 1949 year (75th anniversary): the introduction of lithium into contemporary psychiatry – John Cade; 1954 year (70th anniversary): demonstrating the anitimanic effect of lithium using placebo – Mogens Schou; 1974 year (50th anniversary): the concept of rapid cycling (David Dunner and Ronald Fieve); 1984 year (40th anniversary): the concept of seasonal affective disorder – Norman Rosenthal; 1989 year (35th anniversary): the concept of lithium mechanism – Michael Berridge (phosphatidilonisitol system); 1999 year (25th anniversary): the foundation of the International Society of Bipolar Disorders – David Kupfer and Ellen Frank; the inauguration of the journal Bipolar Disorders – Samuel Gershon and Jair Soares; the concept of excellent lithium responders – Paul Grof; 2009 year (15th anniversary): the inauguration of the ConLiGen (The International Consortium of Lithium Genetics); demonstrating the negative relationship between lithium in drinking water and suicides; 2019 year (fifth anniversary): The book: Lithium – the amazing drug in psychiatry.