The Role of Lead and Cadmium in Psychiatry

Psychiatric disorders are associated with long-term disability and huge social and economic costs. The possible influence of heavy metals exposure on public health remains a matter of concern. A recurring research question that persisted among researchers in neuropsychiatry has been “are psychiatric patients more likely to have a high body burden of lead or other heavy metals?” This is an update account on the role of lead and cadmium in psychiatry. This review, which has employed search words like “lead and cadmium in psychiatry”, “lead and cadmium in schizophrenia”, “lead and cadmium in psychosis” in citation indices such as PubMed, Google Scholar, Scirus, and Scopus. A total of 415 articles were found; 60 fulfiled the inclusion criteria. Evidence-based information suggests that lead and cadmium may be involved in psychiatry. Should environmental lead and cadmium be implicated in the etiogenesis of psychiatry given the characteristic high environmental pollution in Sub Sahara Africa, it is worthwhile for toxicologists and scientists in Sub-Sahara Africa to investigate if lead and cadmium can become additional biomarkers in the diagnosis of psychiatric disorders.