[Relation of the psychotherapist to the general practitioner]

The paper is divided into two parts. The first briefly examines the way patients react to distress and to the therapist. Common therapist attitudes to patients are then examined. The network of support the depressed patient should be surrounded by is then described as is the directive role to be played by the therapist. The second part presents cases of depression personally treated in collaboration with the patient's GP and family. The paper ends with a brief assessment of the attempt to combine the prescription of drugs, instruction to the doctor and the use of short advisory and autogenous psychotherapy session.