Depressive illness often becomes chronic or recurrent, and patients may recover only partially. Despite all the new and effective drugs, at least 25 to 35 percent of patients with clear-cut mood disorders do not respond in a satisfactory way even though there can be some relief of symptoms. These chronically ill patients can be identified by careful examination and are characterized by what Badal calls a "predicament." The predicament is caused by a combination of two factors: an intolerably painful and troublesome relationship with a significant other, and a personality deficit that prevents...