The Findings of the Tavistock Adult Depression Study (TADS)
 

The Value in Further Questions

David Taylor, Felicitas Rost and Peter Fonagy
Chair: Jessica Yakeley

A research project is judged not only by answering its primary hypothesis but as well by whether its findings permit deeper questions. The Tavistock Adult Depression Study allows us to enquire into such questions as “Who benefited and why? Who did not and why?”, “What therapeutic mechanism(s) is at work?” and “Is the emergence of the therapeutic effect of psychoanalytic treatments delayed? Why?” No established understanding of these questions exists. Combining the clinician’s observations of their work with chronically depressed patients with the statistical probing of TADS data offers a prospect of building towards genuinely new and useful scientific knowledge.

Phil Richardson was a principal inceptor of the TADS. David Taylor will begin the Phil Richardson Memorial Lecture by summarising the Study’s outcome findings and giving accounts of patients who seemed on psychoanalytic criteria to benefit, and others who did not. Felicitas Rost will then present statistical analyses of moderators potentially
differentiating responders from non-responders with those showing the putative latent effect and those not. Peter Fonagy will close with a commentary on correspondences/ disjunctions between the different perspectives. His discussion will link TADS conjectureswith existing research evidence to show the significance of our contribution.
Ample time will be allowed for questions from the floor.

Programme
4.30-6pm  AGM (Portland Suite)
6 -7pm      Drinks Reception 
7 pm         Annual Lecture