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If there is a concrete correlation between trace amounts of Lithium in the water supply and lower suicide rates, surely there are other effects? The studies don
by afro88 12y ago
If there is a concrete correlation between trace amounts of Lithium in the water supply and lower suicide rates, surely there are other effects? The studies done seem quite one sided to me (or more likely, this article is). For serious consideration, not only do more studies have to be undertaken for other cities, but other factors have to be measured as well. Other psychological problems, rate of divorce, physical activity (sport etc), unemployment, debt, other drug use, education etc. Perhaps there's a lower incidence of suicide because people are much less active? Unemployed, no ambition, but not enough drive to end it all as well?
- lutusp 12y agoThe answer is that, as one moves into more behaviors and more detail, the chance to meaningfully correlate outcomes with lithium exposure becomes more difficult. Also, because no one knows why those correlations exist (why lithium has the effect it does), it's not possible to turn a correlation into a rigorous, scientific cause-effect relationship. The gold standard in science is not a correlation, but a cause-effect relationship accompanied by an explanation. With respect to lithium, we're a long way from that goal.