# Should Lithium Be Added To The Public Water Supply?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-lithium-be-added-to-the-public-water-supply/217426>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [December 6, 2003, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-lithium-be-added-to-the-public-water-supply/217426 "2003-12-06T20:24:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\
**Post date:** [December 7, 2003, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-lithium-be-added-to-the-public-water-supply/217426/41 "2003-12-07T21:06:18Z")

</div>

Sarcasm, eh? well, in that case I withdraw my comments, **Rhum Runner**. But you might want to consider using our friend, rolleyes, since sarcasm depends heavily for effect on body language and tone of voice, neither of which are present here.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Alex\_Dubinsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dbc845/32.png) [@Alex\_Dubinsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alex_Dubinsky)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2003, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-lithium-be-added-to-the-public-water-supply/217426/42 "2003-12-08T00:41:47Z")

</div>

All of this is aside from the fact that the government and doctors would never prescribe a mood-lifter to “healthy” people. A report by the national council on health or something like that to Congress recently said essentially to the effect of: “yeah, antidepressants can make healthy people happier, but they shouldn’t replace the more standard ways of getting happy like working hard and forming social relationships.”

WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THEM!!! HAPPINESS IS HAPPINESS!!! IT DOESN"T MATTER WHY I"M HAPPY, ALL THAT MATTERS TO ME IS THE CHEMICAL BALANCE OF MY BRAIN!!!

I really wish these doctors would take their heads out of their asses and take us all out of our miseries (in a good way!).

P.S. I understand that antidepressants aren’t magical pills that suddenly turn everyone jolly, but what pisses me off is the doctors’ attitude that even if such a pill was found, it would somehow be “wrong” to give it to everyone.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Rhum\_Runner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rhum\_Runner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhum_Runner)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2003, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-lithium-be-added-to-the-public-water-supply/217426/43 "2003-12-08T01:14:26Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Alex\_Dubinsky \*  
> \*\*P.S. I understand that antidepressants aren’t magical pills that suddenly turn everyone jolly, but what pisses me off is the doctors’ attitude that even if such a pill was found, it would somehow be “wrong” to give it to everyone. \*\*

Now there is an interesting debate. If such a pill were found, would you take it? Would it be wrong for a Dr. _not_ to prescribe it to someone?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2003, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-lithium-be-added-to-the-public-water-supply/217426/44 "2003-12-08T03:11:02Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> _Originally posted by Alex\_Dubinsky \*  
> \*\*  
> I really wish these doctors would take their heads out of their asses and take us all out of our miseries…_\*

ARSENIC!

“Beware of the Cog”

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-lithium-be-added-to-the-public-water-supply/217426.md?page=2)