Citation

Gilroy PJ, Carroll L, Murra J. Women Ther. 2001; 23(4): 13-30.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1300/J015v23n04_02

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

While recent autobiographical accounts of women psychotherapists with depressive illnesses have provided vivid and compelling portraits of therapists' experiences in therapy (e.g., Jamison, 1995; Manning, 1995), further research is needed to clarify the impact that depression and its treatment have upon both collegial relationships and clinical practice. A subset of the membership of the Association for Women in Psychology (AWP) was surveyed concerning therapists' experiences with depression and its treatment. Of 220 respondents, 76% reported some form of depressive illness. Eighty-five percent of respondents indicated that they participated in personal therapy. When evaluating their clinical work, respondents reported both positive and negative consequences resulting from their depression. While some respondents noted improvement in collegial relationships, many felt judged and avoided.

Keywords

Depression; treatment; women; clinicians; psychotherapists