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Depressed outpatients (N = 32) participated in depression-focused treatment over an 11-week period and were assessed at pretreatment, posttreatment, and at a 6-month follow-up session. Patients were randomly assigned to group, bibliotherapy, and delayed treatment conditions. Statistical analyses and quantitative analyses of clinical significance demonstrated improvement for all conditions and maintenance of therapeutic gains at follow up. The investigation raises important questions concerning the necessary and sufficient conditions for alleviating depression.Affective disorders, particularly depression, are among the most common types of mental disorders in adults (Kaplan & Sadock, 1981;Rush, 1982). Treatments for depressive disorders may be broadly classified into pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy (Rush, Beck, Kovacs, Weissenberger, & Hollon, 1982). The scientific literature on the treatment of depression has been dominated by studies examining the efficacy of drug interventions. However, a growing body of empirical research evidence indicates that psychotherapeutic interventions, particularly cognitive-behavioral treatments, are equally effectiveperhaps even more effective than pharmacotherapy treatments. It may be that refinements in psychological treatment may provide clinicians with more effective alternatives to drug treatments (Wilson, in press). Steinbrueck, Maxwell, and Howard (1983) compared drug and psychological approaches in the treatment of unipolar depression in adults. The comparative effectiveness of drug therapy and psychotherapy was evaluated by means of a metaanalysis of 56 published outcome studies. The results suggested that psychotherapy was superior to drug therapy. In fact, the

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