The paper begins by presenting a set of empirical generalizations conc
erning the connection between affective disorder and the patient's rel
ationships with spounse and other family members. The next section dea
ls with diagnosis, indication, etiology and the therapeutic relationsh
ip in respect to therapeutic work with patients and their family membe
rs. The last part concerns the perspectives for systemic therapy follo
wing the breakdown of the assumption that there are specific connectio
ns between depressive syndromes and family interactions.