Developmentalist metatheory of depression and psychotherapy

This paper proposes a developmentalist metatheory for the psychotherapy of depressed patients. Four prototypes of depressive disorder based on psychosexual maturation-dyadic deficit depression (DDD), dyadic conflict depression (DCD), triadic deficit depression (TDD), and triadic conflict depression (TCD)-are explored in terms of early parent-child interactions as well as the therapist/patient relationship. Clinical strategies for each type are recommended.