ArticleBJPsych open2020
Lithium in drinking water and crime rates in Japan: cross-sectional study.
Article in BJPsych open, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- Cancer Risk and Estimated Lithium Exposure in Drinking Groundwater in the US.JAMA network open · 2025Article
- Lithium in Drinking Water and its Potential Impact on Mental Health: A Review.Current medicinal chemistry · 2025Review
- Trace Lithium for Suicide Prevention and Dementia Prevention: A Qualitative Review.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Article
- Estimating Lithium Concentrations in Groundwater Used as Drinking Water for the Conterminous United States.Environmental science & technology · 2024Article
- Evaluation of potential human health risks associated with Li and their relationship with Na, K, Mg, and Ca in Romania's nationwide drinking water.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Lithium concentration in tap water, bottled mineral water, and Danube River water in Hungary.Scientific reports · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn pharmacological doses, lithium successfully treats bipolar disorder and it can reduce violent crimes committed by individuals with this disorder.
aimsTo investigate whether naturally occurring lithium in drinking water lowers rates of violent crime in the general population.
methodWe examined lithium levels in the drinking water of the 274 municipalities of Kyushu Island in Japan and compared these with the crime rates in each municipality.
resultsWe found that lithium levels were significantly and inversely associated with crime rates in 2009.
conclusionsOur findings suggest that even very low levels of lithium in drinking water may play a role in reducing crime rates in the general population.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.