caption death_date death_place birth_place parents birth_date spouse article_title name occupation
dr of the herald sun and weekly times picture collection . john cade , circa 1970 . photo courtesy 16 november 1980 fitzroy , victoria , australia murtoa , victoria , australia dr david & ellen cade 18 january 1912 estana evelyn jean charles john cade
 john cade ao psychiatrist mental health practitioner ; prisoner of war -lrb- australian -rrb- ; ; public servant army medical officer ; medical scientist ;
john cade

dr john frederick joseph cade ao -lrb- 18 january 1912 -- 16 november 1980 -rrb- was an australian psychiatrist credited with discovering -lrb- in 1948 -rrb- the effects of lithium carbonate as a mood stabilizer in the treatment of bipolar disorder -lrb- then known as manic depression -rrb- .
in an age where the standard treatments for psychosis were electroconvulsive therapy and lobotomy , lithium had the distinction of being the first effective medication available to treat a mental illness .
