Citalopram can be industrially and economically produced and at a high yield by reacting a compound of the following formula [VI] with 3-(dimethylamino)propyl chloride in the presence of at least one of N,N,N,N-tetramethylethylenediamine and 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone and a condensing agent. The compound of the following formula [III], which is a key compound for the production of citalopram, can be easily produced by subjecting the compound of the following formula [II] to reduction and cyclization. ##STR1##