There were no other statistically significant differences between lithium and antidepressants according to all other outcomes considered .
AUTHORS ' CONCLUSIONS There was adequate efficacy evidence for lithium or antidepressants preventing relapse in unipolar affective disorder , however their relative efficacy was unknown .
BACKGROUND The main rationale for the use of lithium in the long-term treatment of unipolar affective disorder is its efficacy in treating bipolar affective disorder and resistant depression .
However , there is considerable uncertainty about which pharmacological intervention is most effective in the long-term treatment of recurrent unipolar affective disorder .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of lithium versus antidepressants for the long-term treatment of recurrent affective disorder .
Controlled studies of the acute antidepressant effects of lithium.
In two r and omized double-blind controlled trials on 63 depressed female in- patients subject to recurrent affective disorder ( bipolar and unipolar manic-depressive psychosis )  lithium was shown to have major acute antidepressant effects . At the end of three weeks lithium produced more uniform improvement than did imipramine ; lithium in combination with tryptophan ( in the form of Optimax ) was superior to tryptophan alone -- the latter drug having no discernible antidepressant activity in this group of patients . Lithium did not produce an antidepressant effect until the second and third week of both trials
There were no other statistically significant differences between lithium and antidepressants according to all other outcomes considered .
AUTHORS ' CONCLUSIONS There was adequate efficacy evidence for lithium or antidepressants preventing relapse in unipolar affective disorder , however their relative efficacy was unknown .
BACKGROUND The main rationale for the use of lithium in the long-term treatment of unipolar affective disorder is its efficacy in treating bipolar affective disorder and resistant depression .
However , there is considerable uncertainty about which pharmacological intervention is most effective in the long-term treatment of recurrent unipolar affective disorder .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of lithium versus antidepressants for the long-term treatment of recurrent affective disorder .