the impact of medical treatment on natural killer cell in major depression

objectives: the purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between natural killer cells and the clinical trend of depression before and after treatment. methods: the subjects were 15 patients diagnosed with primary major depression, and 15 non-patients selected from among medical students and laboratory staff, matched in terms of age and sex. in the patient group, 6 out of 15 did not continue with the treatment, and 2 were refractory. findings: the findings demonstrated that two months after pharmaceutical treatment of depression, the level of natural killer cells significantly increased among the patient group.  results: with regard to the findings of the present study, as well as previous studies, psychiatric disorders in general and, depression in particular, seem to have a significant impact on the increment of natural killer cells. moreover, it seems that paying attention to mental health, and psychiatric intervention in illnesses which are closely related to inefficiency of the immunity system, can both pave the way for greater improvement of mental health