FOLATE ACID DEFICIENCY IN DEPRESSIVE INPATIENTS - A PILOT-STUDY

Seventy-seven depressive inpatients were studied in a pilot study to d etermine their serum and red cell folate levels at admission. Only one depressive inpatient with a low serum folate value had a history of a n illness-related lack of nutrition prior to admission, and the low va lue was only on day 1 of the study. Our results demonstrate that folat e acid deficiency is not as common in depressive inpatients as reporte d, especially in British studies for two reasons: different eating hab its and a methodological problem.