Schizophrenic disorders
Lithium is recommended for the treatment of schizophrenic disorders only after other antipsychotics have failed; it has limited effectiveness when used alone. The results of different clinical studies of the efficacy of combining lithium with antipsychotic therapy for treating schizophrenic disorders have varied. Major depressive disorder
Lithium is widely prescribed as a treatment for depression. Augmentation
If therapy with antidepressants does not fully treat the symptoms of major depressive disorder (MDD) then a second augmentation agent is sometimes added to the therapy. Lithium is one of the few augmentation agents for antidepressants to demonstrate efficacy in treating MDD in multiple randomized controlled trials and it has been prescribed (off-label) for this purpose since the 1980s. Monotherapy
There are a few old studies indicating efficacy of lithium for acute depression with lithium having the same efficacy as tricyclic antidepressants. A recent study concluded that lithium works best on chronic and recurrent depression when compared to modern antidepressant (i.e. citalopram) but not for patients with no history of depression. Prevention of suicide
Meta-analyses have yielded differing results regarding the efficacy of lithium for preventing suicide and suicidality. Nonetheless, it remains widely used for these purposes. Monitoring
Those who use lithium should receive regular serum level tests and should monitor thyroid and kidney function for abnormalities, as it interferes with the regulation of sodium and water levels in the body, and can cause dehydration. Dehydration, which is compounded by heat, can result in increasing lithium levels.
Hennekam syndrome also known as intestinal lymphagiectasia–lymphedema–mental retardation syndrome, is an autosomal recessive disorder consisting  of intestinal lymphangiectasia, facial anomalies, peripheral lymphedema, and mild to moderate levels of growth and intellectual disability.It is also known as "lymphedema-lymphangiectasia-mental retardation syndrome".Hennekam Syndrome is subdivided according to the causative genetic lesion, most (or all) of which are affecting the VEGF-C/VEGFR-3 signaling pathway:

Type 1 (mutations in CCBE1) 
Type 2 (mutations in FAT4)
Type 3 (mutations in ADAMTS3)The first recognition of a genetic association was with CCBE1, published by its namesake, Raoul Hennekam. The molecular mechanism of the lymphedema phenotype in CCBE1-associated cases was identified as a diminished ability of the mutated CCBE1 to accelerate and focus the activation of the primary lymphangiogenic growth factor VEGF-C. Mutations in the FAT4 gene had previously been only associated with van Maldergem syndrome, but the pathogenetic molecular mechanism and the function of FAT4 within lymphangiogenesis are still unknown. References


== External links ==