Interpersonal therapy

Question 1

IPT (interpersonal therapy)

Answer 1

Short term therapy for depression.

Focuses upon one or two issues connected to past or present relationships with people that are triggering or maintaining depression.

Concentrates on four main problem areas which contribute to depression.

The therapist helps the person find out which areas are the most relevant to their depression. IPT helps them deal with these problem areas.

Question 2

4 main areas of IPT

Answer 2

Role disputes - when the service user and significant people in their life have different expectations about their relationships

Role transitions - when a person’s role alters and they struggle to cope with the change.

Unresolved grief - unresolved or distorted

Interpersonal sensitivity - problems forming and maintaining satisfactory relationships

Question 3

What do IPT sessions involve?

Answer 3

12 to 16 one hour sessions each week..

Sessions 1-3: opening sessions are devoted to collecting information and deciding what therapy will focus on. Involves reviewing an ‘interpersonal inventory’ - a list of all the key relationships in the individual’s life, the relationships are categorised according to the four main problem areas.

Sessions 4 - 14: concentrates on trying to improve the chosen problem areas with the support of the therapist.

Sessions 15 – 16: final sessions focus upon the end of therapy. This may provoke feelings of loss associated with the end of therapy, but also with previous losses. SU may learn about how they characteristically deal with loss. Progress reviewed and future goals discussed.

Question 4

How effective is IPT?

Answer 4

IPT has been proved to be effective for the treatment of depression (in trials).

(NICE) states that IPT may be considered as an alternative to (CBT) for tx of moderate to severe depression in primary care.

NICE also states that IPT be considered in the psychological tx of ED.