Bipolar disorder affects about 1 in 40 adults in the U.S., causing episodes of mania or hypomania alternating with depression. Standard treatment combines mood stabilizers like lithium or valproate with therapy, and many people also take antipsychotics. Researchers are now testing faster-acting treatments and approaches that address cognitive symptoms between mood episodes.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing drugs that work on glutamate signaling, including ketamine and its relatives, for rapid relief of bipolar depression. Studies are exploring whether lithium protects the brain long-term, testing anti-inflammatory drugs based on immune system involvement, and looking at circadian rhythm interventions. Researchers are also testing digital tools that predict mood episodes before they happen.
Glutamate-targeting drugs
Ketamine and esketamine show rapid antidepressant effects in bipolar depression, working within hours rather than weeks. Trials are testing whether they can fill the gap when standard treatments take too long.
Anti-inflammatory approaches
Evidence suggests immune activation plays a role in bipolar disorder, especially during mood episodes. Trials are testing drugs that reduce inflammation, including celecoxib and minocycline.
Digital prediction tools
Apps that track sleep, activity, and mood patterns are being tested to predict manic or depressive episodes days before they start. Early warning could allow people to adjust treatment before full episodes develop.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on bipolar type (I or II), current episode type (depressed, manic, or stable), how long symptoms have lasted, and what treatments you've tried before.
What types of trials are currently open
- Depression trials — Testing new medications or brain stimulation for bipolar depression, which is harder to treat than mania and causes most of the disability.
- Maintenance trials — Testing whether drugs prevent future mood episodes in people whose symptoms are currently stable.
- Cognitive function trials — Testing treatments for memory, attention, and executive function problems that persist between mood episodes.
- Adjunctive therapy trials — Testing drugs added to mood stabilizers to boost their effect or address symptoms they don't fully cover.
- Digital health studies — Testing apps and wearable devices that monitor symptoms, predict episodes, or deliver therapy between clinic visits.
Recently added Bipolar Disorder trials
Receive one of two procedures to treat an enlarged prostate
This prospective comparative study will evaluate Water Vapor Thermal Therapy (WVTT/Rezum) versus Ejaculation-Sparing Bipolar Transurethral Enucleation of the Prostate (ES-B-TUEP) in sexually active men with symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia. Eligible patients will have moderate-to-severe lower urinary tract symptoms, preserved antegrade ejaculation at baseline, and will be candidates for procedural treatment after failure, intolerance, or unwillingness to continue medical therapy. This is not a randomized study. Treatment selection will be based on shared decision-making between the patient and the treating surgeon after standardized counseling about both procedures. The study will compare ejaculatory function, urinary symptom improvement, urinary flow, post-void residual urine, erectile function, perioperative outcomes, complications, catheterization duration, hospital stay, medication restart, and retreatment or reintervention during follow-up. The primary outcome will be the change in the Male Sexual Health Questionnaire-Ejaculatory Dysfunction Short Form Function domain score from baseline to 12 months.
Receive a surgical procedure designed to preserve ejaculation
This prospective randomized controlled trial will compare ejaculation-preserving bipolar transurethral enucleation of the prostate with standard bipolar transurethral enucleation of the prostate in sexually active men with benign prostatic hyperplasia and lower urinary tract symptoms after failed medical treatment. Participants will be randomly assigned to either ejaculation-preserving B-TUEP or standard B-TUEP. The study will evaluate preservation of ejaculatory function, erectile function, urinary symptom improvement, uroflowmetry outcomes, post-void residual urine, perioperative complications, and need for retreatment during follow-up.
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