Suicide Prevention by Lithium - the Lithium Intervention Study

Status

Terminated

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT00520026

Acronym

SUPLI

Enrollment

167

Registered

2007-08-23

Start date

2001-01-31

Completion date

2006-06-30

Last updated

2007-08-23

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Depressive Disorders, Suicide

Keywords

suicide, prevention, lithium, suicidality

Brief summary

The purpose of this study is to examine the proposed suicide preventive effects of lithium in a randomized controlled trial within a group of individuals with depressive disorders. The hypothesis being tested is that lithium treatment will significantly reduce the risk for another suicide attempt.

Detailed description

Several studies have shown that there is a significantly increased risk of suicide related mortality in patients with a positive history of suicide attempts. This study is the first prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled multi-center trial focussing on the proposed suicide preventive effects of lithium in patients with suicidal behavior but not suffering from bipolar disorder or recurrent major depressive disorder. Patients with a recent history of a suicide attempt are treated with lithium or placebo during a 12 month-period. The hypothesis is that lithium treatment will lead to a 50 % reduction of suicidal behavior.

Interventions

DRUGlithium

DRUGplacebo

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

TRIPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* suicide attempt within 3 months prior to the first drug administration * occurrence of suicide attempt within the context of an affective spectrum disorder * minimum age of 18 years * ability to complete screening and baseline assessment * ability to understand and provide informed consent

Exclusion criteria

* diagnosis of schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, substance related disorders * indication for long-term lithium treatment * thyroid disease * pregnancy and lactation

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
occurrence of attempted and completed suicides	follow-up period of 1 year

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Specific aspects of the suicide attempt/completed suicide	follow-up period of 1 year

Countries

Germany

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026