Depression is a chronic recurring illness that is associated with significant disability, morbidity and mortality. Depression is twice as prevalent in women as men and the risk factor for prenatal depression and postpartum depression is similar to the risk factor for depression in general. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a developmental disease, characterized by overactivity, impulsivity and inattentiveness. ADHD affects about 5-9% of children aged between 5 and 14 years and 2-3 times as many boys as girls. The presence of ADHD in childhood is a major risk of the development of neurobehavioral disorder in adults. Despite the intensive research of both diseases, the exact mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology and treatment of depression or ADHD is still unknown.

This paper is focused mostly on depression and ADHD in the context of the role of zinc deficiency in the pathogenesis of these diseases, changes in animal behavior, the role of zinc treatment and zinc supplementation, and possible biological mechanisms involved in these relationships.