Vitamin D is a neuroactive hormone involved in brain development and immune regulation. It may influence psychiatric symptoms, particularly depression and schizophrenia.
Objective
To examine the association between vitamin D levels and the symptoms of depression and schizophrenia.
Methods
The PRISMA guidelines were followed in this systematic review. A literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library to identify studies published between 2014 and 2025. The studies included case-control, cohort, cross-sectional, and interventional designs that evaluated the levels of vitamin D and psychiatric symptoms in individuals with depression or schizophrenia. The risk of bias was evaluated.
Results
Eleven studies met our inclusion criteria. From these results, it can be observed that there is a link between vitamin D deficiency and increased symptom severity in depression and schizophrenia. Lower vitamin D levels are related to higher severity scores of symptoms and inflammatory and neurotrophic biomarkers. However, three studies have reported no significant relationship.
Conclusion
This systematic review highlights a potential association wherein vitamin D deficiency may contribute to the pathophysiology or severity of both depression and schizophrenia.
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