Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Psychiatry 1735-4587 8 2 2013 06 15 73 9 Elham Ranjbar Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Masoumeh Sabet Kasaei Department of Pharmacology, Neuroscience Research center, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. Tehran. Iran Minoo Mohammad-Shirazi Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. Tehran. Iran Javad Nasrollahzadeh Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. Tehran. Iran Bahram Rashidkhani Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. Tehran. Iran Jamal Shams Department of Psychiatry, Imam Hossein Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science. Tehran. Iran Seyed-Ali Mostafavi Psychiatry and psychology Research Center- Department of psychiatry, Roozbeh Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Tehran. Iran Mohammad Reza Mohammadi Psychiatry and psychology Research Center- Department of psychiatry, Roozbeh Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Tehran. Iran 2015 10 14 Objective: Major depression is a mood disorder that causes changes in physical activity, appetite, sleep and weight. Regarding the role of zinc in the pathology of depression, the present study was aimed to investigate the effects of zinc supplementation in the treatment of this disease. Methods: This study was a double-blind randomized clinical trial. Forty four patients with major depression were randomly assigned to groups receiving zinc supplementation and placebo. Patients in Zinc group received daily supplementation with 25 mg zinc adjunct to antidepressant; Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), while the patients in placebo group received placebo with antidepressants (SSRIs) for twelve weeks. Severity of depression was measured using the Beck Depression Inventory at baseline and was repeated at the sixth and twelfth weeks. ANOVA with repeated measure was used to compare and track the changes during the study . Results: The mean score of Beck test decreased significantly in the zinc supplemen  group at the end of week 6 (P<0.01) and 12 (P<0.001) compared to the baseline. The mean score of Beck Depression Inventory reduced significantly compared to the placebo group at the end of 12th week (P<0.05) Conclusion: The results of the present study indicate that zinc supplementation together with SSRIs antidepressant drug improves major depressive disorders more effectively in patients with placebo plus antidepressants (SSRIs). https://ijps.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijps/article/view/186 https://ijps.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijps/article/download/186/182