Exploring real-world evidence to uncover unknown drug benefits and support the discovery of new treatment targets for depressive and bipolar disorders

•An unmet need for effective treatments in major depressive and bipolar disorders exists.•Associations between 1933 drugs and the disorders were studied using real world data.•Eight medications were associated with >=50% reduction in risk of these disorders.•Several potential mechanisms of action were identified.•These findings could help to inform future drug research and development.