Mental health is the largest cost driver of healthcare. ClinicalTrials.gov is a web-based registry of trials conducted in human participants worldwide and serves as an important resource for both practice and research. We use the registry and dynamic topic modeling (DTM) methods to discover hidden topics and their evolution over last 17 years in trials in bipolar disorders. Our model suggests a "priority shift" from drugs to device and among populations studied in mental health trials. For example, transcranial magnetic stimulation for treatment resistant depression (TMS for TRD) trials have increased (χ2 = 52.99, p < 0.001, n = 187) while standardized drug safety and efficacy trials have remained constant (χ2 = 0.72, p = 0.39, n = 101) and more trials focused on pediatric and adolescents (χ2 = 2.98, p = 0.08, n = 133) may have been conducted since FDAAA 2007. We also derive unique data-driven insights in the discovered topic areas in this model based study.
Keywords: Mood Disorders; Natural Language Processing; Patient Selection.