The multidisciplinary guideline for the treatment of depression has come to be regarded as an important summary of the currently available information about the treatment of depression. We are critical of several of the views expressed in this guideline - first of all, the guideline opts for the selective uptake inhibitors fluvoxamine, paroxetine and sertraline rather than for citalopram, and secondly, the guideline rates antidepressants more highly than psychotherapy or a combination of antidepressants and psychotherapy. There is a lack of cohesion between the various aspects of treatment and little attention is given to the problems of treating depression in everyday practice. In our view this restricts the applicability of the guideline.