Lithium Still Has a Place in Bipolar Treatment: Mood stabilizer is effective for most patients at low levels, but side effects give U.S. clinicians pause.

The use of lithium as a mood stabilizer remains popular in Europe, but U.S. psychiatrists increasingly tend to favor other medications to treat bipolar disorder. Some experts say that's because U.S. clinicians are more easily manipulated by pharmaceutical company marketing; others defend the preference—given lithium's potential side effects and the need for monitoring of blood levels.