A Study on Gottman Couple Therapy Program in Treatment of Depressed Female Partners

Major Depressive Disorder is the world's leading cause of medical disability , and is associated with costs exceeding $219 billion in the United States each year .

The association between marital discord and depression is well-established, and a large body of work now supports the bi-directional nature of this relationship. That is, marital distress plays a crucial role in the etiology and maintenance of depression. Moreover, the impact of one partner's depression on couple functioning can be profound and prolonged.

About two-thirds of the people seeking individual treatment for depression report significant relationship distress. This holds true for primary care, for psychotherapy practice irrespective of the treatment model, and for couple and family therapy as well . In the caseload of family therapists, depressive disorders are the second most common presenting problem after couple difficulties .

Once MDD is present, supportive interpersonal relationships are highly important for recovery. For instance, relationship functioning is not always improved following individual treatments for depression, even if the disorder itself remits .

Spouses of depressed individuals may be living with the disability for many years and may be unaware or misinformed about how to support the depressed person. Given that depression and relationship distress reciprocally influence each other, researchers have focused on couple-based treatment approaches to change maladaptive relationship patterns as a way to alleviate depression. Although couple therapy most often aims to reduce overall relationship distress, couple-based interventions have also been developed to treat couples in which one or both partners struggle with impairing individual emotional or behavioral disorders .