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Published Online:https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.130.9.1011

As part of a continuing study, 72 manic-depressive patients were randomly assigned to treatment with either lithium carbonate or placebo. Of these, 67 percent were treated successfully and 33 percent were long-term failures. Data that reflected the incidence of psychopathology in the first- and second-degree relatives of the patients were collected. Striking differences were observed in the backgrounds of lithium responders and failures: response to lithium treatment was significantly associated with the presence of manic-depressive illness in the patients' families.

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