Lithium Intoxication Research from 2020 to 2026: A Scopus-Based Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

Background: Lithium remains an important pharmacological treatment in psychiatry; however, its narrow therapeutic index makes intoxication a clinically important problem. Despite continued research on lithium toxicity, the recent structure and distribution of the scientific literature have not been fully characterized. This study aimed to evaluate publication trends and the bibliometric characteristics of research on lithium intoxication between 2020 and 2026. Methods: A descriptive bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Scopus database. Publications were retrieved using the search strategy TITLE-ABS-KEY (lithium AND intoxication) AND PUBYEAR > 2019 AND PUBYEAR < 2027, yielding 350 documents. Scopus - Analyze search results Publication year, authors, affiliations, countries/territories, document types, subject areas, and funding sponsors were evaluated using bibliographic data available through Scopus. Results: A total of 350 publications were identified. Annual publication output was 41 in 2020, 39 in 2021, 54 in 2022, 56 in 2023, 55 in 2024, 65 in 2025, and 40 in 2026, with the highest output recorded in 2025. Scopus - Analyze search results Articles constituted the largest document category (69.1%), followed by reviews (15.4%) and letters (8.0%). Scopus - Analyze search results Medicine was the predominant subject area (51.5%), followed by pharmacology/toxicology-related disciplines (15.2%) and neuroscience (8.3%). Scopus - Analyze search results The United States showed the greatest publication activity among the countries displayed in the Scopus analysis, while Turkey, Germany, Japan, Australia, France, Italy, China, Spain, and the United Kingdom were also represented among the leading contributors. Scopus - Analyze search results Conclusion: Research on lithium intoxication demonstrated sustained and internationally distributed scientific activity during 2020–2026, with a predominance of original articles and medicine-related publications. The findings highlight the multidisciplinary nature of lithium intoxication research and provide a quantitative overview of its recent scientific landscape. Further analyses incorporating citation, keyword co-occurrence, and collaboration networks may provide additional insight into influential themes and emerging research directions.