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Starting from the observation that the representations of an illness impact the way physicians treat it, a multidisciplinary research team investigated the representations and treatment of chronic depression by general practitioners (GPs). This was made through a qualitative study by means of focus groups. Firstly, we outline the types of patients described by GPs when asked to talk about chronic depression. Secondly, we focus on the technical and interpersonal skills used by GPs in treating these complex situations. Finally, we question the importance of antidepressants in the treatment of chronic depression. It appears that the treatment proposed by GPs stems from a conceptual framework of general practice — which could apply to any psychic or psychosomatic disorder — rather than from a specific understanding of chronic depression.