Turmeric has gained great interest from the food industry due to its functional properties, such as the antidepressant action. Chronic stress can induce depression and animal models are widely used in studies to evaluate antidepressants. There are several reports on the antidepressant activities of vegetal extracts and their active substances. The forced swim test is a predictive model for depression, which shows some aspects of depression in humans. The objective of this study was to evaluate the immobility behavior on animals in forced swim test. Animals were submitted or not to moderate and unpredictable chronic stress protocol (CMS ) treated or not with turmeric. The animals were divided into four experimental groups: Control+ corn oil (CV), Control + Turmeric powder dissolved in corn oil (C+CURC), CMS+ CURC, CMS + VEHICLE (corn oil). The behavior of each animal were filmed during the test and after was analyzed with stopwatch, were observed time of mobility and immobility (no active swimming and small movements performed in order to keep their heads above water) in the forced swim test. The C + CURC group had shorter immobility time, indicating possible preventive mechanism of action of turmeric for depression. The ECMI + VEHICLE group showed the higher values of immobility time. The results indicate that the stressed group that received no treatment with turmeric showed higher values when compared to the others, showing that, when the animals were subjected to administration of the test compound, the immobility time was significantly shorter, showing specifically to forced swimming test, turmeric showed properties that can be said as antidepressant, since decreased immobility time of animals, which is considered analogous to depressive behavior in human.