Folate Augmentation Therapy in Depression

Yoon, Choong Han

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
It has been suggested that folate deficiency can cause psychiatric disturbances of depressive nature and the possible pathogenetic mediating mechanism is the deflect in methylation processes of S-adenosylmethionine in the nervous system. But the direct causal relationship between folate deficiency and depression is not well defined and the studies to investigate the effect of folate supplementation on the treatment of depression have shown to be controversial. So this present paper aims to test the adjunctive effect of folate to antidepressant and to investigate the relationship between folate deficiency and depression. METHOD: The subjects were 30 female unmedicated outpatients with major depressive disorder by DSM-IV and they were divided into the experimental(n=15) and control group (n=15). Folate, 15 mg/day, and sertraline, 50 mg/day, were given to the experimental group for 6 weeks and sertraline, 50 mg/day for 6 weeks, was given to the control group. Response to treatment was determined by Hamilton Depression Rating Scale at baseline, 2nd week,4th week and 6th week.
RESULTS
After 6 weeks treatment, the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores were reduced, but there was no difference between experimental and control group.
CONCLUSIONS
This result does not support the supplemental application of folate for the treatment of depression, so folate deficiency does not have a common association of depressive symptoms.