Bipolar disorder has long relied on lithium, valproate, and atypical antipsychotics, with depression in bipolar disorder especially hard to treat. Research is now focused on faster-acting options for bipolar depression, better long-term mood stabilizers, and tools to detect mood changes earlier.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing new treatments for bipolar depression specifically, ketamine and esketamine in carefully selected patients, novel antipsychotics with fewer metabolic side effects, brain stimulation approaches, and digital tools to track mood. Researchers are also studying bipolar in adolescents, in pregnancy, and approaches to reduce recurrence.
Bipolar depression
Most time spent ill in bipolar disorder is depressive, and few drugs help safely. New treatments aimed specifically at bipolar depression are advancing in trials.
Long-term stability
Trials are comparing newer mood stabilizers and combinations to lower recurrence and reduce side effects like weight gain and sedation that drive many people to stop treatment.
Digital monitoring
Smartphone-based tools that track sleep, activity, and speech patterns can detect mood changes early. Studies are testing whether these tools help prevent full episodes.
What to know before you search
Eligibility often depends on bipolar type (I or II), current mood state, prior medications tried, and other conditions like substance use or anxiety.
What types of trials are currently open
- New medication trials — Testing mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, or new drugs for bipolar disorder, especially bipolar depression.
- Therapy trials — Testing structured therapy programs designed for bipolar disorder, including family-focused and rhythm therapy.
- Device trials — Studies of brain stimulation and digital monitoring tools for bipolar disorder.
- Therapy strategy trials — Testing combinations of medications and therapy to reduce recurrence.
- Observational studies — Following people with bipolar disorder to understand long-term outcomes and predictors of episodes.
Recently added Bipolar Disorder trials
An Exploratory Study on the Prediction of Recurrence Risk of Bipolar Disorder Using Sentiment Analysis Technology Based on Multi-modal Feature Fusion
Bipolar disorder (BD) has become a significant public health problem with complex clinical manifestations, difficult treatment, and poor prognosis. However, there is still a lack of effective biological markers for diagnosing and predicting recurrence. Sentiment analysis computing usually refers to using machine equipment to classify, identify, interpret, and imitate human emotions. However, current multi-modal emotion analysis research is mainly based on one or two modalities. Due to the diversity and complexity of patients' emotional expressions, this single- and dual-modal information analysis is far from enough for accurate discrimination of emotional symptoms. Only emotion analysis technology based on multi-modal feature fusion can make more precise and effective judgments. The current project is based on our previous research on cognitive neuroimaging and big data analysis of bipolar disorder. The investigators plan to enroll 200 BD patients who meet DSM-5 diagnostic criteria and 200 healthy controls. The investigators will use sentiment analysis technology with multi-modal feature fusion (text data, audio and visual modalities, eye movements, and electrophysiology) to identify BD recurrence. Biological markers for risk prediction and an algorithm model for joint judgment of multi-source information will be established to analyze the characterization data. The effectiveness of this recurrence prediction model will be further verified and optimized through a large-sample, prospective cohort study design. It is hoped that it can provide a new method for predicting the recurrence risk of BD patients. In the near future, clinical decision-making aids based on this auxiliary method can be developed, and the translational application value of clinical diagnosis and treatment can be explored.
A Study of Home-use Brain Stimulation to Treat Bipolar Depression
Bipolar depression is a long-lasting and disabling condition, and many people continue to experience depressive symptoms despite standard treatments. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive form of brain stimulation that uses a very small electrical current applied through the scalp and has shown promise as a treatment for depression. This study aims to find out whether a home-based tDCS device is effective and safe in reducing symptoms of bipolar depression when compared with a placebo (sham) treatment. The study will also look at how acceptable the treatment is to participants and how well people are able to use the device at home. Who can participate? Adult patients aged 18 years and over who have a diagnosis of bipolar disorder and are currently experiencing a depressive episode. What does the study involve? Participants must meet specific eligibility criteria, which will be assessed by the research team. People who do not meet the study criteria or for whom tDCS is not suitable will not be able to take part. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either active tDCS or a placebo (sham) treatment. Neither the participant nor the researchers assessing outcomes will know which treatment has been assigned. Participants will use a study device at home over a defined treatment period and will complete a series of assessments at set time points. These include clinician-rated interviews and self-reported questionnaires about mood and well-being. Device use and adherence data will be collected electronically. Participants will also be monitored for any side effects throughout their involvement in the study. Although the study is multi-site, participation is primarily remote, with most study activities completed from the participant's home. What are the possible benefits and risks of participating? Participants may experience an improvement in depressive symptoms. Information gained from this study may help improve future treatments for bipolar depression. tDCS is generally well tolerated. Possible side effects include mild and temporary sensations such as tingling, itching, headache, or skin irritation at the electrode sites. All participants will be monitored for adverse events, and appropriate support will be available if needed. Where is the study run from? The study is run from King's College London in collaboration with NHS research sites across the UK. When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for? April 2026 to October 2027 Who is funding the study? The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), UK. Who is the main contact? Professor Cynthia Fu, the Chief Investigator at King's College London, cynthia.fu@kcl.ac.uk
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