[The place of psychopharmacology in the treatment of depressions (author's transl)].

The great strides science has made in the field of pharmacology, on the one hand, and the refinement of numerous psychotherapeutic techniques, on the otherhand, provides the psychiatrist with efficient means to not only fight but also cure depressive illness. In certain cases electroconvulsive shock therapy performed under anaesthesia and under cover of a myoplegic remains nevertheless a necessity. This possibility must always be considered as it is not harmful to the patient.