LITHIUM COMPOSITIONS

2:1 cocrystals of amino acids and Li+ salts crystallize from hot water to afford water stable cationic networks based upon tetrahedral lithium cations: bilayered square grids, a lithium zeolitic metal-organic material (LiZMOM) and several lithium diamondoid metal-organic materials (LiDMOMs). The compositions may be used as a pharmaceutical for the treatment of suicidality and other disorders that require lithium to penetrate the blood brain barrier and exert therapeutic effects in the CNS. Advantageously, the novel cocrystal forms described herein may be used to lower the oral dose required to achieve therapeutic concentrations of lithium in the brain, thus reducing the peripheral toxicity and potentially broadening the therapeutic index in comparison to conventional lithium forms.