Summary of Bipolar Disorder Clinical Trials, Treatments, Research Sites and Investigators

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Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depressive disorder or simply manic depression, is a type of depressive spectrum disorder. Though, not as common as unipolar depression, bipolar depression afflicts almost 2.3 million Americans and is an equally serious mental health disease due to the extreme behavioral changes and aberrations witnessed.

Bipolar depression, as the name suggests, is characterized by severe mood swings from mania to depression with the patient experiencing normal moods in between the mood changes. The maniacal phase may start off with increasing sense of restlessness, feeling of pent up energy, talkativeness, tendency to be reckless, and a sense of Euphoria. Several patients end up being highly productive during this phase, whereas some patient may end up participating in dangerous activities like sexual promiscuity, life threatening sports, stunts, shopping sprees, etc. However, somewhere during this euphoric state of mind, the patient may suddenly spiral into a darker state of irritation, anger, confusion, and have a sense of being trapped.

As opposed to the manic state, the depressive state is characterized by loss of appetite, desire to live, malaise, insomnia or hypersomnia, and a general sense of worthlessness. There are high chances of suicidal attempts during this phase. According to several psychiatrists, Bipolar is a condition that is more difficult for both the patient and the care givers to accept due to the fact that the condition involves a whole spectrum of symptoms with the patient being highly productive and above average at times and going into a shell at others. According to Dr. Aronson, MD, caregivers can easily accept schizophrenia, where the patient is consistently irrational, as a mental illness, but convincing them about Bipolar is a major task that takes a lot of effort.

Though, new and improved medications and therapies have improved a lot needs to be done yet. Bipolar personalities are at a high risk for suicide attempts. There is a critical need more medical research and clinical trials to develop more efficient methods of screening and diagnosis of the condition and better and faster therapy schedules for managing the condition.

Several Bipolar trials are underway in the US. Of the 220 bipolar clinical trials (medical research studies) currently active in the United States, 5 clinical trials are in Phase I, 25 are in Phase II and 45 are in Phase III (read more about what the different phases of a clinical trial mean and how they differ). Some of these Bipolar trials are being performed and managed in over 280 cities by 285 different clinical trial investigators.

Bipolar clinical trials interventions

Sites/Medical Centers doing Bipolar Clinical Trials

Clinical Trial Investigators for Bipolar

List of Clinical Trials for Bipolar

If you are interested in participating in a clinical trial of bipolar, you can find trials near you.