Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Apr 22;9(4):e35928.
doi: 10.2196/35928.

Natural Language Processing Methods and Bipolar Disorder: Scoping Review

Daisy Harvey  1 , Fiona Lobban  1 , Paul Rayson  2 , Aaron Warner  1 , Steven Jones  1
Affiliations

Natural Language Processing Methods and Bipolar Disorder: Scoping Review

Daisy Harvey et al. JMIR Ment Health. .

Abstract

Background: Health researchers are increasingly using natural language processing (NLP) to study various mental health conditions using both social media and electronic health records (EHRs). There is currently no published synthesis that relates specifically to the use of NLP methods for bipolar disorder, and this scoping review was conducted to synthesize valuable insights that have been presented in the literature.

Objective: This scoping review explored how NLP methods have been used in research to better understand bipolar disorder and identify opportunities for further use of these methods.

Methods: A systematic, computerized search of index and free-text terms related to bipolar disorder and NLP was conducted using 5 databases and 1 anthology: MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Academic Search Ultimate, Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, and the ACL Anthology.

Results: Of 507 identified studies, a total of 35 (6.9%) studies met the inclusion criteria. A narrative synthesis was used to describe the data, and the studies were grouped into four objectives: prediction and classification (n=25), characterization of the language of bipolar disorder (n=13), use of EHRs to measure health outcomes (n=3), and use of EHRs for phenotyping (n=2). Ethical considerations were reported in 60% (21/35) of the studies.

Conclusions: The current literature demonstrates how language analysis can be used to assist in and improve the provision of care for people living with bipolar disorder. Individuals with bipolar disorder and the medical community could benefit from research that uses NLP to investigate risk-taking, web-based services, social and occupational functioning, and the representation of gender in bipolar disorder populations on the web. Future research that implements NLP methods to study bipolar disorder should be governed by ethical principles, and any decisions regarding the collection and sharing of data sets should ultimately be made on a case-by-case basis, considering the risk to the data participants and whether their privacy can be ensured.

Keywords: bipolar disorder; computational linguistics; mental health; mental illness; natural language processing.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) flowchart of search history [71].
Figure 2
Figure 2
Number of studies published yearly by data source.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Grouped objectives of the studies. EHR: electronic health record.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Patel V, Saxena S, Lund C, Thornicroft G, Baingana F, Bolton P, Chisholm D, Collins PY, Cooper JL, Eaton J, Herrman H, Herzallah MM, Huang Y, Jordans MJ, Kleinman A, Medina-Mora ME, Morgan E, Niaz U, Omigbodun O, Prince M, Rahman A, Saraceno B, Sarkar BK, De Silva M, Singh I, Stein DJ, Sunkel C, UnÜtzer JÜrgen. The Lancet Commission on global mental health and sustainable development. Lancet. 2018 Oct 27;392(10157):1553–1598. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31612-X.S0140-6736(18)31612-X - DOI - PubMed
    1. Global Burden of Disease Study 2013 Collaborators Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 301 acute and chronic diseases and injuries in 188 countries, 1990-2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. Lancet. 2015 Aug 22;386(9995):743–800. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60692-4. http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/26063472 S0140-6736(15)60692-4 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. GBD Compare | IHME Viz Hub. [2022-04-04]. https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-compare .
    1. Tatay-Manteiga A, Correa-Ghisays P, Cauli O, Kapczinski FP, Tabarés-Seisdedos R, Balanzá-Martínez V. Staging, neurocognition and social functioning in bipolar disorder. Front Psychiatry. 2018 Dec 19;9:709. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00709. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00709. - DOI - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Clements C, Jones S, Morriss R, Peters S, Cooper J, While D, Kapur N. Self-harm in bipolar disorder: findings from a prospective clinical database. J Affective Disorders. 2015 Mar 01;173:113–9. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2014.10.012. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2014.10.012.S0165-0327(14)00634-X - DOI - DOI - PubMed

Publication types