Overdose rates in lithium‐treated versus antidepressant‐treated outpatients

Abstract
Our clinical experience that lithium is an agent used infrequently for self‐poisoning was investigated. The rate at which such overdoses occurred was determined from hospital records. A retrospective casenotes study then compared overdose rates in patients taking lithium versus patients on antidepressant medication. A low rate of lithium overdoses was identified, and this appeared to be due to patients on lithium rarely taking overdoses rather than their choice of agent.