Objective To investigate the effect of paroxetine in the adjuvant treatment of maintenance hemodialysis(MHD)com-plicating depression.Methods 60 patients with MHD complicating depression were randomly divided into the control group and the observation group,30 cases in each group.The control group received the routine therapeutical scheme(hemodialysis,complication treatment and correcting the renal anemia,etc).On the basis of the routine therapy the observation group was given oral paroxetine 10 mg/d,once daily for continuous 8 weeks.The depression level was assessed by the Hamilton depression scale(HAMD).The clinical symptoms,levels of Hb,ALB,Kt/V,iPTH,SF and HAMD scores were statistically analyzed and compared between the two groups.Results The clinical symptoms,levels of Hb,ALB,Kt/V after 8-week treatment in the two groups were significantly im-proved compared with pretherapy(P<0.05);the level of iPTH,SF and the HAMD scores in the two groups were decreased com-pared with pretherapy(P<0.05).The effective rate of depression was 86.67% in the observation group and 23.33% in the control group,the difference between the two groups had statistical significance(P<0.05).Conclusion Paroxetine in the assisted treat-ment of MHD complicating depression symptom can improve the quality of life in MHD patients.