PD Dr. med. Ute Lewitzka

Research focus

Anti-suicidal effects of lithium
Change of care and its effect in suicide-related outcome after psychiatric discharge
Biological markers in patients with mood-disorders and suicidality
Development of suicidal behavior in patients with somatic diseases (e.g. ALS, brain tumors)
Effects of school-awareness- programs about stress, psychiatric diseases, suicidality
Influence of resilience training as psychotherapeutic intervention in patients with suicide attempts

Curriculum Vitae

	Lewitzka, Ute Prof. Dr. med. habil.
Official position	Head of the Research Group “Suicide Research”; Senior Psychiatrist
Institution	University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus,Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
Business address	Fetscherstr. 74

Academic education and degrees

1991-1999	Humboldt University Berlin & Medical School at Dresden (Technische Universität Dresden) Study of Medicine
2004	Doctoral degree, Technische Universität Dresden
2006	Specialization for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
2018	Postdoctoral lecture qualification (venia legendi) in Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden

Professional career

1999-2006	Resident psychiatrist (Dept. of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Dept. of Neurology, Dept. of internal medicine), University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden
2006-2008	Specialist for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Dept. of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden
2008-2010	Head of the psychiatric acute care unit, Dept. of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden Coordinator, Undergraduate Medical Curriculum, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden
2010-2012	Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University Halifax, Canada
Since 2012	Senior physician & Study Coordinator, Dept. of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden

Honors, awards and positions

2004	Poster Award DGPPN “Vergleich der antidepressiven Wirksamkeit von Lithium mit Citalopram Monotherapie bei unipolarer Depression
2010	Research Fellowship Award, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada (140.000 CAD)
2011	Research Fellowship Award, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada (48.000 CAD)
Since 2008	Board of the International Group for the Study of Lithium Treated Patients (IGSLI),
Since 2016	Board of Kreisärztekammer Dresden
Since 2017	Founder and Chairmen of the Werner Felber Institute for Suicide Prevention and Interdisciplinary Research in Health System” (WFI),
Since 2018	Head Section Suicidality, German Society for Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Nervous Disease (DGPPN),
Since 2018	Chairmen of the German Society of Suicide Prevention (DGS),

Current journal editorial positions

Since 2012	Associate Editor Section Mood Disorder, BMC Psychiatry
Since 2015	Deputy Section Editor, Section “Causes, Treatment and Prevention of Suicidality”, BMC Psychiatry
Since 2015	Scientific Advisory Board Suizidprophylaxe

10 most important peer-reviewed papers

(10 out of: 80, SCOPUS h-index: 18)

Lewitzka U, Sauer C, Bauer M, Felber W. Are national suicide prevention programs effective? A comparison of 4 verum and 4 control countries over 30 years. BMC Psychiatry. 2019;19(1):158.

Conell J, Lewitzka U. Adapted psychotherapy for suicidal geriatric patients with depression. BMC Psychiatry. 2018;18(1):203.

Lewitzka U, Bauer M, Ripke B, Bronisch T, Günther L. Impulsivity and Saliva Cortisol in Patients with Suicide Attempt and Controls. Neuropsychobiology. 2017;75(4):162-168.

Lewitzka U, Spirling S, Ritter D, Smolka M, Goodday S et al. Suicidal Ideation vs. Suicide Attempts: Clinical and Psychosocial Profile Differences Among Depressed Patients: A Study on Personality Traits, Psychopathological Variables, and Sociodemographic Factors in 228 Patients. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2017;205(5):361-371.

Lewitzka U, Denzin S, Sauer C, Bauer M, Jabs B. Personality differences in early versus late suicide attempters. BMC Psychiatry. 2016;16:282.

Ritter D, Pesch M, Lewitzka U, Jabs B. Suicidal ideation of prisoners: Influence of duration of imprisonment, personality traits and disorders. Nervenarzt. 2016;87(5):496-5005.

Lewitzka U, Jabs B, Fülle M, Holthoff V, Juckel G et al. Does lithium reduce acute suicidal ideation and behavior? A protocol for a randomized, placebo-controlled multicenter trial of lithium plus Treatment As Usual (TAU) in patients with suicidal major depressive episode. BMC Psychiatry. 2015;15:117.

Lewitzka U, Severus E, Bauer R, Ritter P, Müller-Oerlinghausen B, Bauer M. The suicide prevention effect of lithium: more than 20 years of evidence-a narrative review. Int J Bipolar Disord. 2015;3(1):32.

Lewitzka U, Scheffczyk R, Ritter D, Doucette S, Bauer M, Bschor T. No correlation between lithium serum levels and psychopathological features during the euthymic interval of patients with recurrent affective disorder. Pharmacopsychiatry. 2012;45(1):1-6.

Lewitzka U, Müller-Oerlinghausen B, Felber W, Brunner J, Hawellek B et al. Is MAO-B activity in platelets associated with the occurence of suicidality and behavioural personality traits in depressed patients? Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2008;117(1):41-9.