Does the Covid 19 pandemic have you feeling a little down? Well, soon you may not have to reach for a pill or a bottle of booze to drown your sorrows. You need only reach for the faucet.

Researchers from the Medical University of Vienna have found that naturally occurring lithium levels in drinking water can have a positive effect on depression and suicide rates. They compared water samples from various locations throughout Austria and found that areas with higher lithium levels indeed had fewer reported suicides.

They published their findings in the British Journal of Psychiatry. Across 99 districts, the areas with the lowest lithium water levels had suicide rates of 16 per 100,000 people; whereas the areas with the highest lithium water levels documented only 11 per 100,000 -- a statistically significant difference.

So why not improve upon Mother Nature and add a little somethin'-somethin' extra? These same scientists now suggest adding additional lithium to the drinking water supply in an effort to boost the mood and mental attitude of the masses.

But nothing to see here, folks. To make sure they account for any placebo effect, they suggest "not telling" residents that their water has been spiked. Ethical dilemma, you ask? What ethical dilemma? After all, they point out that the US has been spiking their drinking water with fluoride for decades.

"People who oppose adding lithium to the drinking water in trace amounts don't go around advocating to strain the lithium from the drinking water from areas where it does exist," said Dr. Jacob Appel, of the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. "Why not give everyone the same benefit?"

Sold. Besides, what could possibly go wrong?