The Role of Vitamin D for the Management of Depression in Patients with Autoimmune Thyroiditis and Hypothyroidism in the West-Ukrainian Population

The study investigated the impact of vitamin D (cholecalciferol) supplementation on depression in 56 West-Ukrainian patients with hypothyroidism due to autoimmune thyroiditis. Over 12 weeks, patients receiving both cholecalciferol and L-thyroxine showed a 40% reduction in depression levels on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, compared to a 25% reduction in those receiving only L-thyroxine. Notably, 21.4% of patients in the cholecalciferol group experienced complete remission of depression, while no complete remission was observed in the L-thyroxine-only group. The study concluded that vitamin D supplementation could effectively alleviate depression in these patients.