Background Depression is one of the most common mental health disorders, which affiliated more than four percent of world population. Several antidepressant agents, including citalopram were developed. High dose and long-term treatment with these agents along with their side effects decrease the treatment adherence. Using supplements such as acid folic is a way to increase these drug’s efficacy. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of acid folic supplement and increase in blood folate level of the intensity of depression symptoms.Methods This was a randomized-controlled clinical trial. Twenty-four patients with major depression were randomly assigned to two groups. Both groups received citalopram as their standard treatment. The intervention group received acid folic supplement (1mg/daily). The folate levels of blood, Beck's depression inventory and Hamilton depression scale scores were measured. The measurements were conducted before intervention, and in 45 and 90 days follow ups. Data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U and Friedman tests.Results The blood level of folate was increased for the intervention group. The Hamilton depression scale and Beck Depression Inventory Scores were reduced significantly in both groups after 90 days follow up. There were no significant differences between two groups in the reduction of depression scores. In the intervention group, the decrease of Hamilton's depression scale score was negatively correlated to the increase of blood folate level.Conclusions The increase in blood folate level may be correlate with the decrease in depression symptoms. The use of 1mg/d supplement of acid folic was not effective in the reduction of depression symptoms in patients with major depression.Registered in Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20180115038373N1)

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) belongs to the categories of psychiatric disorders with the potential to turn into a chronic condition without receiving the necessary treatments. The main feature of OCD is the frequent or intense obsession and compulsion that might induce great pain and suffering in patients. Moreover, as one of the most prevalent abnormalities, depression usually follows OCD. The present study aimed to compare the effects of Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) treatments adjunct to pharmacotherapy on decreasing the severity of obsession-depression symptoms and improving the quality of life in OCD patients. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test, post-test design and a follow-up stage. The statistical population comprised all the patients diagnosed with OCD in Zanjan Province, Iran. Besides, 26 OCD patients referring to Shahid Beheshti Medical Center in Zanjan were selected using a purposive sampling method. Then, they were randomly assigned to two treatment groups. The study subjects completed the Yale Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI 2), and the Quality of Life Questionnaire at the pre-treatment, posttreatment, and follow-up stages (1 month and 2 months after the treatment). Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) and Reliable Change Index (RCI) methods were used to measure statistical and clinical significances, respectively. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS. Results: The obtained data suggested no significant difference between the ERP and tDCS groups concerning the symptoms of OCD and depression at the post-test stage (P>0.05). Conversely, in terms of life quality, there was a significant difference between the ERP and tDCS groups at the post-test phase (P<0.05). Conclusion: Although the present findings revealed no statistically significant difference between the ERP and tDCS groups (except for the quality of life variable), the pharmacotherapy-ERP combination proved to be more effective than pharmaco therapy-tDCS in treating OCD patients.