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Beyond Depression: Toward a Process-Based Approach to
Research, Diagnosis, and Treatment
Marie J. C. Forgeard, Emily A. P. Haigh, and Aaron T. Beck, University of Pennsylvania
Richard J. Davidson, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Fritz A. Henn, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Steven F. Maier, University of Colorado at Boulder
Helen S. Mayberg, Emory University
Martin E. P. Seligman, University of Pennsylvania
Despite decades of research on the etiology and treat-
ment of depression, a significant proportion of the popu-
lation is affected by the disorder, fails to respond to
treatment, and is plagued by relapse. Six prominent
scientists—Aaron Beck, Richard Davidson, Fritz Henn,
Steven Maier, Helen Mayberg, and Martin Seligman—
gathered to discuss the current state of scientific knowl-
edge on depression and in particular on the basic
neurobiological and psychopathological processes at play
in the disorder. These general themes were addressed:
(a) the relevance of learned helplessness as a basic pro-
cess involved in the development of depression; (b) the
limitations of our current taxonomy of psychological dis-
orders; (c) the need to work toward a psychobiological
process-based taxonomy; and (d) the clinical implications
of implementing such a process-based taxonomy.
Key words:
cognitive theory, depression, learned
helplessness, neurobiology, taxonomy.
[Clin Psychol Sci
Prac 18: 275–299, 2011]
I am now the most miserable man living. If what I
feel were equally distributed to the whole human
family, there would not be one cheerful face on the
earth. Whether I shall ever be better I cannot tell; I
awfully forebode I shall not. To remain as I am is
impossible; I must die or be better, it appears to me.
(Lincoln, 1841 ⁄1953, p. 230)
The words that Abraham Lincoln pronounced at the
height of his despair convey just how disabling depres-
sion is. Today, after decades of research on the etiology
and treatment of depression, the disorder continues to
affect approximately 17% of the United States population
at some point during their lifetimes (Kessler et al., 2005)
and remains one of the leading causes of disability in the
world (World Health Organization, 2008). While several
treatments, including medication or psychotherapy or
both, can relieve the symptoms of depression (American
Psychiatric Association, 2000a, 2000b), as many as 20%
of individuals afflicted with the disorder do not respond
to treatment (Fava, 2003; Keller et al., 1992).
On June 1, 2010, six researchers, all experts on
depression, gathered upon the invitation of Dr. Beck
and Dr. Seligman to discuss the current state of scien-
tific knowledge on depression. Dr. Beck, the father of
Cognitive Therapy, is an emeritus professor of psychia-
try and the director of the Psychopathology Research
Unit at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Davidson,
one of the world’s leading authorities in the neurosci-
ence of emotion regulation, is the William James and
Vilas professor of psychology and psychiatry and the
Address correspondence to Martin E. P. Seligman, Depart-
ment of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia,
PA 19104. E-mail: seligman@psych.upenn.edu.
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