ABSTRACT
Julian Leff, Eia Asen, and Felix Schwarzenbach paint a vivid picture of the trials and tribulations of psychotherapy research. The fantasy that there is such a thing as clean-cut empiricism is quickly dispelled by this authentic account of how the London Depression Intervention Trial was carried out. This chapter focuses on four questions: what is depression, and how do we understand it; what counts as evidence; what aspects of couple therapy account for change; and where do we go from here. By classifying the symptoms of depression as a mental disorder the Manual gathers depression into the medical domain. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence decides what constitutes an adequate evidence base for health services in the UK, and this body has affirmed that such a thing exists for the treatment of depression not only by pharmacotherapy and cognitive behavioural therapy but also by couple therapy.
