Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-fbnjt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T01:30:41.651Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Effects of Chronic Lithium Treatment on Psychomotor Performance Related to Driving

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Simon Hatcher ,
Ruth Sims  and
David Thompson
Simon Hatcher*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Leeds, Leeds
Ruth Sims
Affiliation:
High Royds Hospital, Menston, Ilkley
David Thompson
Affiliation:
Malham House Day Hospital, Leeds
*
∗Department of Liaison Psychiatry, Leeds General Infirmary, Great George Street, Leeds LSI 3EX
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

A group of 16 psychiatric out-patients in remission, who had been taking lithium carbonate as their sole medication for at least three months, were compared with a control group of 22 healthy volunteers. On a computerised driving simulator which produced measures of reaction time, tracking ability and mistakes made, the patient group had a significantly slower reaction time. Patients should be warned therefore that lithium may affect their ability to drive or operate machinery and that psychomotor impairment and sedation are not synonymous.

Type
Brief Reports
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 157 , Issue 2 , August 1990 , pp. 275 - 278
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1990 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Elsass, P., Mellerup, E. T., Rafaelsen, O. J., et al (1981) Effect of lithium on reaction time – a study of diurnal variations. Psychopharmacology, 72, 279–282.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Haakinen, S. (1976) Traffic accidents and psychomotor test performance. A follow-up study. Modern Problems in Pharmacopsychiatry, 11, 51–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hamsher, K. S. & Benton, A. L. (1977) The reliability of reaction time determinants. Cortex, 13, 306–310.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hobi, V., Gastpar, M., Gastpar, G., et al (1982) Driving ability of depressive patients under antidepressants. Journal of International Medical Research, 10, 65–81.Google Scholar
Linoila, M., Saario, I. & Maki, M. (1974) Effect of treatment with diazepam or lithium and alcohol on psychomotor skills related to driving. European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 7, 337–342.Google Scholar
Raffle, A. (ed.) (1985) Medical Aspects of Fitness to Drive. London: The Medical Commission on Accident Prevention.Google Scholar
Sivak, M., Olson, P. L., Kewman, D. G., et al (1981) Driving and perceptual/cognitive skills: behavioural consequences of brain damage. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 62, 476–483.Google ScholarPubMed
Shaw, E. D., Stokes, P. E., Mann, J. J., et al (1987) Effects of lithium carbonate on the memory and motor speed of bipolar out-patients. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 96, 64–69.Google Scholar
Snaith, R. P., Harrop, F. M., Newby, D. A., et al (1986) Grade scores of the Montgomery-Asberg Depression and Clinical Anxiety Scales. British Journal of Psychiatry, 148, 599–601.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zigmond, A. S. & Snaith, R. P. (1983) The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 67, 361–370.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.