Synopsis
The great majority of depressed patients are currently married or formerly married and depression is commonest at ages when marital satisfaction is least. Study of patterns of marital interaction in depression may provide useful leads for understanding the aetiology and therapy of depressive syndromes. Theoretical views of depression as loss, as coerced behaviour and as coercive behaviour suggest useful hypotheses. Both marital interaction and depression are complex variables to define and measure. A literature review suggests reduced general affective involvement, reduced expressions of affection, increased criticism, increased husband domination and a marked struggle for interpersonal control in the marriages of depressed persons. Marital therapy may be the most useful psychotherapeutic approach for depression.