While reading the 9th Annual Year in Ideas by the New York Times, I came across a story indicating that neuropsychiatrist Takeshi Terao would like to add lithium to the water supply in order to curb “mood swings” and “potentially offer an easy, cheap and substantial strategy for worldwide suicide prevention”, which left me with no recourse other then to say “wtf.”
I don’t want to preach here, so I’ll just leave you with a few thoughts:
- Lithium is used to treat bi-polar disorder, a medical condition estimated to affect only 3-4% of the world’s population.
- Lithium is known to be toxic, affect kidney function and cause significant weight gain through increases in appetite and thirst (known as “polydypsia,” potentially causing nephrogenic diabetes insipidus), and reduces the activity of thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism).
- Lithium is associated with all of the following side effects: severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); blurred vision; confusion; diarrhea; drowsiness; fainting; giddiness; inability to control the bladder or bowels; increased or decreased urination; involuntary twitching or muscle movements; loss of consciousness; loss of coordination; muscle weakness; persistent headache; persistent or severe nausea; ringing in the ears; seizures; slow or irregular heartbeat; slurred speech; swelling of the ankles or wrists; unsteadiness; vision changes; vomiting.
- What does it mean for your medical and personal rights when you are forced to take a mind-altering substance?
posted by: Harold Johns III
Tags: culture, enviroment, opinion, science
