About The Course
The Psychiatrist’s Guide to Lithium: Comprehensive Use in Clinical Practice is a practical lithium prescribing course for clinicians managing bipolar disorder. You’ll cover mechanisms of action, evidence-based dosing and monitoring, key interactions, adverse effects, and lithium toxicity assessment and management. Delivered through structured modules and case-based learning, the course builds confidence in using lithium safely and effectively across diverse clinical scenarios.
Who Is This Course For?
This course is suitable for:
- Psychiatrists
- General Practitioners (GPs)
- Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (MHNPs)
- Psychologists
- Mental health professionals
- Clinicians working in or expanding into psychiatry and mental health care
Accreditation Information:
- Psychiatry Accreditation: This course is available for self-accreditation with the RANZCP and other relevant psychiatric and mental health organisations.
- GP Accreditation: This course is available for self-accreditation with RACGP for general practitioners.
- Upon completion, participants will receive 5 CPD hours (EA 2, RP 0.5, MO 2.5) and a certificate of completion, which can be used to claim CPD.
What You'll Learn
- Identify the neurobiology and mechanisms of action of lithium
- Discuss the neurobiological and neuroprotective effects of lithium on neurotransmitters and second messenger systems
- Describe the intracellular mechanisms of action of lithium
- Analyse the clinical uses of lithium therapy
- Apply evidence-based management strategies for lithium therapy to a clinical case study
Course Programme
6 Units | 19 Modules | 5 hours total length
- Lithium’s Neurobiological and Neuroprotective Effects
- Lithium’s Intracellular Mechanisms of Action
- Neuroprogression in Bipolar Disorder
- Longterm Prophylaxis
- Lithium Prophylaxis and Maintenance
- Lithium Absorption and Bioavailability
- Dosing Schedule
- NICE and APA Recommendations for Lithium Therapy
- Side Effects, Toxicity and Drug Interactions
- Lithium Orotate
- Part 1: Patient’s Presentation
- Part 2: Treatment Plan
- Part 3: Management of Potential Lithium Toxicity
- Audit Task - Working Example
- 1. PLAN: Design Your Audit - Lithium Thyroid, Renal and Parathyroid Monitoring
- 2. DO: Intervention: Automatic pathology + linked recall system
- 3. STUDY: Compare monitoring compliance before vs after the intervention.
- 4. ACT: Develop Your Action Plan
- Knowledge check
Course Description
The Psychiatrist’s Guide to Lithium: Comprehensive Use in Clinical Practice
Lithium Use in Clinical Practice remains a central pillar in mood disorder management, long recognised as the gold-standard mood stabiliser for bipolar disorder. With proven efficacy in mania, depression, and relapse prevention, lithium offers unique neuroprotective effects. Yet safe prescribing requires clinicians to navigate lithium’s complex mechanisms, monitoring requirements, and toxicity risks with precision. This course bridges the gap between theory and practice, guiding mental health professionals through evidence-based strategies to optimise outcomes and ensure the safe, effective use of lithium in patient care.
Neurobiology and Clinical Foundations
The course begins with lithium’s neurobiological mechanisms, highlighting its regulation of dopamine, glutamate, and GABA pathways. Participants will explore intracellular processes, including second messenger systems, calcium signalling, and oxidative stress, as well as hypotheses of neuroprogression in bipolar disorder. Building on this foundation, Unit 2 examines lithium’s role across the clinical spectrum — from acute mania and bipolar depression to rapid cycling, mixed states, and suicidality — supported by robust evidence for long-term prophylaxis and relapse prevention.
Prescribing and Safety in Practice
Unit 3 provides practical guidance on prescribing lithium, covering absorption, bioavailability, and dosing strategies. International guidelines are examined across initiation, maintenance, and long-term phases. The course provides in-depth guidance on recognising and managing lithium side effects and toxicity, with emphasis on drug interactions, endocrine monitoring, and long-term safety. To further support clinical application of guidelines, you may also be interested in the CANMAT Guidelines Course by Prof. Michael Berk. Clinicians will also learn about lithium orotate, its historical context, and associated safety concerns. This section ensures participants can integrate evidence-based lithium therapy into their practice while minimising risks.
Applied Learning: Case Study, Audit, and Knowledge Check
To bridge theory with real-world application, Unit 4 introduces a detailed patient case study, guiding participants through baseline investigations, treatment planning, and management of potential toxicity scenarios. The case study provides an opportunity to apply guidelines in complex clinical scenarios while sharpening clinical judgement in recognising and managing early indicators of lithium toxicity. Unit 5 engages clinicians in a PDSA quality improvement activity, applying standards to lithium monitoring and developing actionable goals for practice improvement. By engaging with this audit exercise, participants learn how to evaluate their own monitoring systems and implement improvements that directly enhance patient safety. Finally, Unit 6 consolidates learning through a knowledge check, reinforcing clinical decision-making skills.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Understand the neurobiology and mechanisms of lithium and their relevance to mood disorder management.
- Recognise lithium’s neurobiological and neuroprotective effects on neurotransmitters and second messenger systems.
- Describe the key intracellular mechanisms of action that underpin lithium’s clinical benefits.
- Analyse lithium’s clinical applications across bipolar disorder, including mania, depression, prophylaxis, and suicidality.
- Apply evidence-based lithium therapy to case studies, integrating guidelines with real-world clinical decision-making.
Strengthen your prescribing expertise with Lithium Use in Clinical Practice. Enrol today to gain the skills and confidence to apply lithium safely, manage complexity in practice, and improve long-term outcomes for patients with mood disorders. Upon completion, participants will receive 5 CPD hours (EA 2, RP 0.5, MO 2.5) and a certificate of completion, which can be used to claim CPD.
While our Academy members enjoy exclusive access to a range of courses and webinars (including this course) with their annual membership, we’re pleased to offer you the opportunity to purchase it individually! Click here – The Psychiatrist’s Guide to Lithium: Comprehensive Use in Clinical Practice.
Related Courses
Lithium in Clinical Practice: Advanced Mood Stabilisation Training for Psychiatrists: This course provides practical, evidence-based guidance on lithium’s clinical applications, including suicide-risk reduction, neuroprotection, and safe long-term monitoring. It equips clinicians with essential skills to manage drug interactions, renal considerations, and common adverse effects such as polyuria.
Bipolar Disorder: CANMAT Guidelines & Advanced Training for Psychiatrists: This evidence-based course offers a clear, clinically focused overview of the CANMAT and ISBD guidelines, covering acute mania, bipolar depression, maintenance therapy, and Bipolar II Disorder. It supports informed decision-making by translating guideline recommendations into practical strategies for mood disorder management.
Advanced ADHD Psychopharmacology: Medications, Neuroscience & Prescribing Guidelines for Clinicians: This course deepens clinicians’ understanding of ADHD neurobiology and the distinctions between stimulant and non-stimulant treatments. It provides clear, practical guidance on safe prescribing practices, legal considerations, and personalised medication strategies.
This course examines lithium’s role in bipolar disorder, focusing on evidence-based lithium therapy, prescribing practices, and side effect management. Clinicians gain practical strategies for safe, effective treatment and enhanced patient outcomes.
Course Information
- 5 hours
- 5 CPD
Inclusions
- 5 Hours of Interactive Course Material
- Infographics
- Case Studies
- PDSA Activity
- Self-assessment
- Certificate of Completion
Material Downloads
- certificate
Instructors
Dr Alessandro Cuomo Course Reviewer - MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, University of Siena School of Medicine, Italy
Dr Alessandro Cuomo is a Clinical Research Psychiatrist and Assistant Professor in the Division of Psychiatry, Department of Molecular Medicine and Neuroscience at the University of Siena School of Medicine, Italy. He graduated with highest honours in medicine and psychiatry from the University of Siena and completed a fellowship in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Research Methodology in Psychopharmacology at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London. He has also worked as an Attending Psychiatrist within the Lombardy Healthcare System in Mantua.
Dr Cuomo’s research and clinical expertise focus on the diagnosis and personalised pharmacological treatment of mood, anxiety, and psychotic disorders, including treatment-resistant conditions. His work also explores psychopharmacology in special populations such as pregnancy, lactation, and comorbid medical illness, alongside emerging areas such as vitamin D and the microbiome in psychiatric disease.
He has published widely, contributed to more than 50 peer-reviewed papers, serves on editorial boards of international journals, and has acted as principal or co-investigator in numerous phase 3 and 4 clinical trials. His research interests span treatment-resistant psychiatric disorders, psychopharmacology in special populations, and the biological underpinnings of mental illness.
Dr. Sanil Rege MBBS, MRCPsych, FRANZCP
Dr Sanil Rege is an educator and consultant psychiatrist with dual psychiatry qualifications from the United Kingdom and Australia.
With extensive teaching experience through various psychiatry education initiatives, Dr. Rege is renowned as a motivational training facilitator who promotes interaction and discussion. As the Academic Lead of Psych Scene and Chief Editor of Psych Scene Hub, he aspires to make a difference in mental health by empowering healthcare professionals to advance their skills and career through specialised training.
Dr Rege is also founder of Vita Healthcare, a private clinic in Mount Eliza specialising in mental health. He has 20 years of clinical experience and 13 years of private practice experience treating disorders across the spectrum, currently working in the community, in-patient, consultation-liaison and addiction psychiatry.
