interpersonal therapy (IPT)

Last reviewed 01/2018

Interpersonal therapy (IPT)

  • structured, supportive therapy linking recent interpersonal events to mood or other problems, paying systematic attention to current personal relationships, life transitions, role conflicts and losses
  • NICE depression guideline defined IPT as a discrete, time limited, structured psychological intervention, derived from the interpersonal model of affective disorders that focuses on interpersonal issues
    • therapist and patient work collaboratively to identify the effects of key problematic areas related to interpersonal conflicts, role transitions, grief and loss, and social skills, and their effects on current symptoms, feelings states and/or problems
      • they seek to reduce symptoms by learning to cope with or resolve these interpersonal problem areas

Reference:

  1. MeReC Bulletin 2005;16(1): non-drug therapies for depression in primary care