About this term
- Quick definition
- Interpersonal therapy. A structured, time-limited psychotherapy that treats depression through the lens of relationships and roles.
- Full clinical definition
- IPT is a manualized psychotherapy developed by Gerald Klerman and Myrna Weissman in the 1970s. A standard course is 12 to 16 weekly sessions organized around one of four interpersonal problem areas: grief (complicated bereavement), role disputes (ongoing conflict with a partner, family member, or coworker), role transitions (becoming a parent, retiring, immigration, divorce, illness), or interpersonal deficits (long-standing isolation or difficulty forming relationships). The therapist and patient identify the most relevant area in the first few sessions and focus the rest of treatment there.
- Epidemiology and evidence base
- IPT has the strongest evidence after CBT for depression. The NIMH Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program found IPT comparable to imipramine and to CBT (Elkin et al., 1989). It's recommended as a first-line psychotherapy for depression by the American Psychiatric Association and NICE. IPT-A (for adolescents) and IPT for postpartum depression are well-studied adaptations.
- What a course can look like
- A new mother whose depression began with the birth of her child works on the role transition into motherhood, the change in her relationship with her partner, and the loss of her pre-baby identity. A widower works on grief, with structured time spent on the relationship before the death and the rebuilding of social ties after it. A patient in a long, unresolved conflict with a parent works on the role dispute and on communication patterns that maintain it.
- Why it matters
- Many depressive episodes are triggered or maintained by something happening in the person's relationships or roles. IPT is built around that observation and is one of the few therapies with specific evidence in postpartum depression and in depression in older adults.
- How clinicians assess fit
- A clinician asks whether the depression has a clear interpersonal trigger, whether one of the four problem areas predominates, and whether the patient is willing to focus on relationships rather than thoughts or behaviors. A patient whose depression is anchored in self-critical thinking patterns may be a better fit for CBT; one whose depression followed a divorce or a bereavement is often a strong fit for IPT.
- Treatment implications
- A standard course is 12 to 16 weekly sessions. A maintenance phase of monthly sessions has evidence for relapse prevention in recurrent depression (Frank et al., Archives of General Psychiatry, 1990). IPT can be combined with antidepressants for moderate to severe depression. Telehealth IPT is widely available and has comparable effectiveness to in-person delivery.
- Related terms
- CBT. Behavioral activation. Psychotherapy. Major depressive disorder.
- Related articles
- Depression treatment, explained. Therapy types.
Sources
- Klerman GL, Weissman MM, Rounsaville BJ, Chevron ES. Interpersonal Psychotherapy of Depression. Basic Books, 1984.
- Elkin I, et al. NIMH Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program: general effectiveness of treatments. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1989.
- Frank E, et al. Three-year outcomes for maintenance therapies in recurrent depression. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1990.
- Cuijpers P, et al. Interpersonal psychotherapy for mental health problems: a comprehensive meta-analysis. Am J Psychiatry. 2016.