Lithium is a good counter. It is by far the best treatment for bipolar 1, and its cheap and easy to source. Prices for lithium carbonate and other lithium medicament's are not at all cheap, and there are not a lot of medical companies producing it. There has even been shortages. Instead antipsychotics have been pushed as a preferred treatment, even though the outcomes are worse than with lithium.
Lithium in dosages effective in treating a mood disorder is quite toxic (e.g., to the kidneys) so most of the price is probably to offset the risk of lawsuit awards.
With regular blood checks its not an issue. You can catch it before the kidneys take damage. Antipsychotics are literally neurotoxic (first gen atleast).
