Core principles of IPT
IPT focuses on one or more of four interpersonal domains:
1. Grief (bereavement, loss)
2. Role disputes (conflict with partner, family, work)
3. Role transitions (life changes: divorce, illness, new job)
4. Interpersonal deficits (social isolation, poor relationships)
📌 Examiner logic:
Symptoms are framed as responses to interpersonal stress, not intrapsychic conflict.
A 32-year-old patient undergoing psychodynamic psychotherapy describes a dream in which their supervisor appears with the face of their father and is standing in their childhood home. The therapist explains that this is an example of condensation in dream formation.
What does condensation mean in psychodynamic theory?
A. Extracting symbolic meaning from a dream during analysis
B. Displacing emotions from an important object to a neutral object
C. Transforming manifest dream content into latent meaning
D. Transforming latent dream thoughts into manifest dream imagery
E. Combining several unconscious ideas into a single dream image
⸻
✅ Correct answer
E. Combining several unconscious ideas into a single dream image
⸻
Why this is correct
• Condensation is a mechanism of Freud’s dream work.
• Multiple latent dream thoughts are compressed into a single manifest symbol.
• One dream figure may represent several people, emotions, or conflicts simultaneously.
• This explains why dream images often feel symbolically dense or ambiguous.
Example:
• A dream character may represent a father + boss + authority figure simultaneously.
A 30-year-old man undergoing psychoanalytic psychotherapy reports recurrent dreams about losing his teeth and being chased. His therapist asks him to say whatever thoughts come to mind when thinking about each dream element without censoring himself.
Which principle of Freudian dream interpretation does this technique illustrate?
A. Dream interpretation is primarily performed by the patient rather than the analyst
B. Dream work occurs collaboratively between therapist and patient
C. Dreams must be narrated in the third person
D. Free association is used to uncover the latent content of the dream
E. Interpretation relies primarily on archetypal symbols
⸻
✅ Correct answer
D. Free association is used to uncover the latent content of the dream
⸻
• Freud distinguished between manifest content and latent content of dreams. • Manifest content = the dream as remembered. • Latent content = unconscious wishes, conflicts, or thoughts underlying the dream. • Free association allows the patient to spontaneously connect thoughts to dream elements. • These associations help reveal the latent meaning concealed by dream work mechanisms.
Example
Dream image: losing teeth
Free associations may reveal:
• fear of loss of control
• fear of aging
• fear of castration or humiliation (Freudian interpretation)
A 29-year-old psychiatry trainee is revising major contributors to psychodynamic theory. During a seminar, the supervisor explains that Carl Jung expanded psychoanalytic theory by proposing that some unconscious material is universal and shared across humanity rather than purely derived from individual experience.
Which of the following concepts is most closely associated with Carl Jung’s theoretical contribution?
A. Development of transference-focused psychotherapy
B. Differentiation between the personal and collective unconscious
C. The study of group dynamics in psychotherapy
D. Expansion of Freud’s theory of defence mechanisms
E. Identification of the autistic phase of child development
⸻
✅ Correct answer
B. Differentiation between the personal and collective unconscious
⸻
• Carl Jung proposed that the unconscious has two distinct components: Personal unconscious Collective unconscious • The personal unconscious contains: forgotten memories repressed experiences personal emotional complexes • The collective unconscious contains: archetypes universal symbolic patterns shared by humanity • Archetypes manifest in: myths religion dreams cultural narratives.
Examples of archetypes:
• The Mother
• The Hero
• The Shadow
• The Wise old man
Creating transference focussed therapy is incorrect as this form of psychotherapy was developed by Otto Kernberg, not Carl Jung. Transference-focused therapy (TFT) is an evidence-based treatment for borderline personality disorder. It utilises the relationship between patient and therapist to understand and modify maladaptive patterns of interaction.
Work on group dynamics is also incorrect. While Jung did have thoughts on society and groups, he is not specifically known for his work in group dynamics. This field was more directly influenced by psychologists such as Kurt Lewin who studied how individuals behave in different group environments.
Furthering Freud’s work on the defence mechanisms is another inaccurate option. Although Jung was initially a close collaborator with Sigmund Freud, their theoretical perspectives diverged significantly over time. While both acknowledged the existence of defence mechanisms - psychological strategies that are unconsciously used to protect a person from anxiety arising from unacceptable thoughts or feelings - it was Anna Freud, Sigmund’s daughter, who expanded upon her father’s ideas regarding defence mechanisms.
Finally, Defining the autistic phase of child development is also incorrect as this concept was introduced by Margaret Mahler, not Carl Jung. Mahler described several stages in early childhood development leading up to individuation; ‘autistic’ being one where infants are primarily focused on their internal world.
CAMHS team is observing a family therapy session from behind a one-way mirror. After the session, the observing clinicians discuss their observations and reflections with the family. During the session, the therapist also asks questions such as:
“Who in the family becomes most upset when your daughter refuses to attend school?”
“What does your father usually do when that happens?”
Which model of family therapy most characteristically uses reflecting teams and circular/interventive questioning?
A. Transgenerational family therapy
B. Structural family therapy
C. Solution-focused family therapy
D. Strategic family therapy
E. Systemic family therapy
⸻
✅ Correct answer
E. Systemic family therapy
⸻
Systemic family therapy (especially the Milan model) is characterised by:
• Circular questioning
• Reflecting teams
• Viewing problems as part of family interaction patterns
• Exploring relationships rather than individual pathology
Reflecting team
• Developed later by Tom Andersen
• Therapists observe session and share reflections
• Provides multiple perspectives to the family
Circular questioning
• Questions about relationships between family members
• Helps reveal interaction patterns
Example
Instead of asking:
“Why are you angry?”
Therapist asks:
“Who in the family notices the anger first?”
⸻
Why the other options are wrong
A. Transgenerational
• Focuses on family history and intergenerational patterns
• Key tool: genograms
• Associated with Bowen
⸻
B. Structural
• Developed by Salvador Minuchin
• Focuses on:
• family hierarchy
• boundaries
• subsystems
Techniques include:
• joining
• enactment
• boundary making
⸻
C. Solution-focused
• Developed by Steve de Shazer
• Uses:
• miracle question
• scaling questions
• Focus on solutions rather than family structure
⸻
D. Strategic
• Associated with Jay Haley and MRI Palo Alto group
• Uses paradoxical interventions
• Focus on changing problematic interaction cycles
A psychiatry trainee is revising neo-Freudian theorists. During a lecture, the supervisor explains that one theorist proposed that the unconscious mind contains inherited psychological structures shared by all humans, derived from humanity’s evolutionary and ancestral past.
Which Neo-Freudian theorist proposed this concept?
A. Anna Freud
B. Carl Jung
C. Harry Stack Sullivan
D. Erik Erikson
E. Alfred Adler
⸻
✅ Correct answer
B. Carl Jung
⸻
3️⃣ Clear, exam-focused explanation
Why this is correct
Carl Jung introduced the concept of the collective unconscious.
Key points:
• A layer of the unconscious shared by all humans
• Contains archetypes
• Archetypes represent universal symbolic patterns
• Derived from human evolutionary and ancestral experiences
Examples of archetypes:
• Mother
• Hero
• Shadow
• Wise old man
• Trickster
These archetypes appear in:
• myths
• religions
• dreams
• literature
• cultural symbols.
Jung believed these structures are psychologically inherited, not learned.
Anna Freud, although a significant figure in psychoanalysis, is not associated with this idea. She was Sigmund Freud’s youngest daughter and made notable contributions to psychoanalysis, particularly in the area of child development. However, her work focused more on ego psychology and defense mechanisms rather than concepts related to collective unconscious.
Harry Stack Sullivan was an American psychiatrist who developed a theory of psychiatry based on interpersonal relationships where cultural forces are largely responsible for mental illnesses. His focus was primarily on observable behaviours and real-world interactions, which contrasts with Jung’s emphasis on internal psychic phenomena such as the collective unconscious.
Erik Erickson, known for his theory on psychosocial development consisting of eight stages from infancy to adulthood, also did not propose any theories related to a shared unconscious. His work emphasised the social environment and its effects on individual development over time, rather than inherited ancestral memories.
Finally, Alfred Adler, founder of Individual Psychology, proposed concepts like inferiority complex and striving for superiority. His theories revolve around individual’s unique struggle towards self-realisation and perfection rather than shared unconscious experiences across humanity.
A 35-year-old man with recurrent depression begins psychodynamic psychotherapy. During supervision, the trainee asks what factor most strongly predicts whether the therapy will be successful.
Which of the following is the best predictor of the effectiveness of psychodynamic psychotherapy?
A. Patient’s ability to recall dreams
B. Strength of the therapeutic alliance
C. Intelligence of the client
D. Patient’s age
E. Gender of the therapist
⸻
Previous Exam Question
✅ Correct answer
B. Strength of the therapeutic alliance
⸻
3️⃣ Clear, exam-focused explanation
Why this is correct
The therapeutic alliance (working alliance) is the strongest predictor of psychotherapy outcome across almost all therapy modalities, including:
• psychodynamic psychotherapy
• CBT
• interpersonal therapy
• supportive therapy.
It refers to the collaborative relationship between therapist and patient, including:
1️⃣ Agreement on therapy goals
2️⃣ Agreement on therapy tasks
3️⃣ Emotional bond between therapist and patient
A psychiatry trainee presents a case in which a patient demonstrates logical, organised thinking when planning long-term goals, despite experiencing strong emotional urges to act impulsively.
Which ego function best explains this ability?
A. Primary process thinking
B. Defence mechanisms
C. Wish fulfilment
D. Secondary process thinking
E. Pleasure seeking
⸻
✅ Correct answer
D. Secondary process thinking
⸻
Secondary process thinking is the ego’s logical, reality-oriented mode of thinking.
It allows a person to:
• delay gratification
• evaluate consequences
• organise behaviour toward long-term goals
• inhibit immediate emotional impulses
• make rational decisions based on reality.
This reflects the reality principle, which is governed by the ego.
Example:
• Feeling angry but choosing not to act impulsively
• Planning career goals despite emotional stress.
⸻
Why the other options are wrong
A. Primary process thinking
• Characteristic of the id
• Driven by wish fulfilment and immediate gratification
• Illogical and associative thinking
• Seen in:
• dreams
• fantasies
• psychosis
• regression.
Primary process cannot organise long-term planning.
Which of the following is a basic assumption suggested by Bion?
Previous Exam Question
Bion described three basic assumptions:-
Fight-flight
Dependency
Pairing
Wilfred Bion described two ways groups operate:
Work group
Rational, task-focused group
Basic assumption group
Irrational unconscious group behaviour
When anxiety rises, the group may regress into primitive unconscious dynamics called basic assumptions.
The 3 Basic Assumptions
1️⃣ Dependency
The group behaves as if one leader will solve everything.
Members become:
• passive
• dependent
• helpless
Leader is seen as all-powerful caretaker.
Example:
A therapy group expecting the therapist to fix every problem.
Key theme → “Someone will take care of us.”
⸻
2️⃣ Fight–Flight
The group behaves as if there is a threat that must be fought or escaped.
Members may:
• attack the leader
• attack another member
• avoid the task
• leave the group psychologically
Example:
Group suddenly argues aggressively or wants to end the session early.
Key theme → “There is danger — fight or run.”
⸻
3️⃣ Pairing
The group believes two members will produce a future solution.
Hope is invested in a pair forming something new.
Example:
Two members talking intensely while the group watches, believing they will produce the solution.
Key theme → “The future will save us.”
Regarding group psychotherapy, which of the following is a curative factor?
Previous Exam Question
Yalom set out the therapeutic principles of group psychotherapy as follows.
- Universality (removes group members sense of isolation)
-Altruism (the experience of helping anther group member)
-Instillation of hope (seeing other members who have progressed in therapy)
-Imparting information (learning from others)
-Corrective recapitulation of the primary family experience (therapists analysis of transference)
-Development of socialising techniques (practicing social skills)
-Imitative behaviour (using other members as models)
-Cohesiveness (feeling part of the group)
-Existential factors (taking responsibility)
-Catharsis (relief from express
Which of the following suggests a patient is suitable for psychodynamic psychotherapy?
Previous Exam Question
Factors predicting a good outcome in psychodynamic psychotherapy include:-
Motivation
Psychological mindedness
Good ego strength
A patient asks you to explain what transference is, select the best response.
A. The passage of information from a past life
B. Changing your interpersonal style
C. The transferring of ideas within therapy
D. The effect of past relationships on current relationships
E. Coming to terms with the past
The correct answer is ‘The effect of past relationships on current relationships’:
‘Transference’ is a phenomenon in psychotherapy where a patient redirects feelings and desires, especially unconsciously retained from childhood, towards the therapist. It is a re-enactment of past relationships in the current therapeutic setting, where the patient may attribute feelings or attitudes to the therapist that actually stem from their relationships with significant others in the past.
A psychiatry trainee is revising key contributors to object relations theory. During supervision, the consultant explains a concept describing the caregiver’s ability to provide a safe psychological and emotional environment that supports the infant’s developing self.
Which concept is most closely associated with Donald Winnicott?
A. Archetype
B. Death instinct
C. Collective unconscious
D. The absent mother
E. Holding environment
⸻
✅ Correct answer
E. Holding environment
⸻
Donald Winnicott, a British paediatrician and psychoanalyst, introduced the concept of the holding environment.
It refers to:
• The physical and emotional care provided by the mother (or primary caregiver)
• A supportive environment that contains the infant’s anxiety
• Allows development of a stable sense of self
The caregiver:
• anticipates the infant’s needs
• regulates distress
• protects from overwhelming stimuli.
This allows the infant to gradually develop ego integration and psychological security.
⸻
Archetype is incorrect as it is associated with Carl Jung, not Donald Winnicott. Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology. The term archetype refers to universal symbols or motifs that come from the collective unconscious and are seen across different cultures in myths, dreams and artworks.
The death instinct, also known as Thanatos, is another incorrect option. This term was coined by Sigmund Freud, an Austrian neurologist who founded psychoanalysis. According to Freud’s theory of drives, humans have two fundamental instincts: Eros (the life instinct) and Thanatos (the death instinct). The death instinct represents an unconscious wish for self-destruction and return to an inorganic state.
Collective unconscious is also linked to Carl Jung’s theories rather than those of Donald Winnicott. Jung proposed this concept to describe structures of the unconscious mind shared among beings of the same species. It contains archetypes which are manifested in individuals through dreams, visions and various forms of art.
Lastly, The absent mother isn’t directly associated with any particular theorist but rather refers to a general situation where a mother isn’t present or involved in her child’s life due to various reasons such as death or abandonment. While Winnicott did emphasise on the importance of maternal care in early childhood development, he didn’t coin this specific term.
patient undergoing psychotherapy receives a written summary from the therapist describing patterns in their relationships, early experiences, and current coping strategies. This document is discussed in therapy to help the patient recognise recurring interpersonal patterns.
Which psychotherapy model characteristically uses a reformulation letter?
A. Cognitive behavioural therapy
B. Dialectical behaviour therapy
C. Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
D. Cognitive analytic therapy (CAT)
E. Interpersonal psychotherapy
⸻
✅ Correct answer
D. Cognitive analytic therapy (CAT)
⸻
3️⃣ Clear, exam-focused explanation
Why this is correct
Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) is characterised by the use of a reformulation letter early in therapy.
This letter:
• summarises the patient’s life history
• identifies repeating relational patterns
• links past experiences with current behaviours
• is written by the therapist and shared with the patient
The reformulation helps the patient recognise:
• maladaptive relational patterns
• reciprocal roles
• coping strategies developed earlier in life
It forms the basis for later therapeutic work.
CAT typically also includes a goodbye letter at the end of therapy.
A 2-year-old child becomes distressed when separated from their mother at nursery. The child carries a soft blanket everywhere and uses it to calm themselves when upset or separated from their caregiver.
According to Winnicott’s theory, which statement about transitional objects is correct?
A. They are not the same as comfort objects
B. They were used by Melanie Klein to investigate transference in child therapy
C. They should be avoided in children under the age of 1 year
D. They function as substitute parents for children experiencing separation anxiety
E. A child’s attachment to a transitional object should have disappeared by the age of 5
⸻
Previous Exam Question
✅ Correct answer
D. They function as substitute parents for children experiencing separation anxiety
⸻
A transitional object is an item used by a child to provide comfort and emotional security during separation from the primary caregiver.
Typical examples:
• blanket
• teddy bear
• soft toy.
According to Donald Winnicott, transitional objects:
• represent the caregiver psychologically
• help the child tolerate separation anxiety
• support the transition from dependence → independence
• allow the child to self-soothe.
They symbolically function as a substitute for the caregiver when absent.
⸻
📘 Formal conceptual framework
Donald Winnicott introduced transitional phenomena within object relations theory.
Transitional objects:
• represent the first “not-me” possession
• occupy the intermediate space between inner and outer reality
• support emotional development during early separation from caregiver.
They occur during the transition from subjective omnipotence → recognition of external reality.
A psychiatry trainee is revising Freud’s topographical model of the mind, which divides mental processes according to levels of awareness.
Which of the following was NOT described by Freud in his topographical model of the mind?
A. Conscious system
B. Unconscious system
C. Subconscious system
D. Preconscious system
E. He described all of the above
⸻
✅ Correct answer
C. Subconscious system
Freud proposed two major ways of conceptualising mental life:
The topographical model (early theory, introduced in ‘The Interpretation of Dreams’, 1900)
The structural model (later theory, 1923 onwards, in ‘The Ego and the Id’)
Topographical Model
Freud divided mental life into three psychological ‘regions’, based on accessibility to conscious awareness:
the conscious
the preconscious
the unconscious
Conscious System:
Contains mental content of which a person is immediately aware: perceptions, thoughts, affects, and ongoing mental activity.
Considered a very small part of overall mental life.
Operates through secondary process thinking: logical, reality-based, sequential, and rational.
Easily influenced by attention, perception, and current external stimulation.
Preconscious System:
Holds material that is not currently in awareness but can be readily accessed with attention (e.g., memories, learned information, accessible experiences).
Functions as the bridge between conscious and unconscious thought.
Accessible through effort, reflection, or prompting.
Uses secondary process thinking, but can contain residues of unconscious material.
Unconscious System:
Considered the largest and most influential region of the mind.
Contains repressed memories, instinctual drives, unacceptable wishes, fantasies, and traumatic material excluded from consciousness through defence mechanisms.
Operates via primary process thinking, characterised by:
wish fulfilment
timelessness (no concept of time or sequence)
denial of negation (‘no’ does not exist)
condensation and displacement
acceptance of contradictory states
Governed by the pleasure principle.
Expressed indirectly through dreams, slips of the tongue, neurotic symptoms, and transference phenomena.
Central to psychoanalytic psychotherapy, where unconscious conflicts are made conscious through interpretation.
A 28-year-old patient with depression frequently says:
“It’s not fair that others succeed while I struggle. People should treat me more fairly.”
The therapist identifies this pattern as a distorted way of interpreting events based on a rigid belief about fairness.
Which of the following represents a cognitive distortion?
A. Circumstantiality
B. Fallacy of fairness
C. Flight of ideas
D. Sublimation
E. Thought blocking
⸻
Previous Exam Question
✅ Correct answer
B. Fallacy of fairness
⸻
3️⃣ Clear, exam-focused explanation
Why this is correct
The fallacy of fairness is a cognitive distortion in which a person believes:
• life must conform to their personal idea of fairness
• others should behave according to their expectations
• situations that deviate from this expectation are unjust or intolerable.
This thinking pattern often produces:
• resentment
• anger
• frustration
• depressive interpretations of events.
Example:
“It’s unfair that I work harder but don’t get promoted.”
In CBT this reflects distorted thinking based on rigid expectations of justice.
⸻
A cognitive distortion is a systematic error in thinking that leads to inaccurate or exaggerated negative interpretations of situations.
It is a central concept in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) developed by Aaron Beck.
Cognitive distortions:
• are automatic thoughts
• are biased interpretations
• reinforce depression and anxiety
• often occur rapidly and unconsciously
Which of the following structures of Freud’s structural model of the mind operates according to primary process thinking?
A. Ego
B. Preconscious system
C. Consciousness
D. Superego
E. Id
⸻
✅ Correct answer
E. Id
Primary process thinking:
• seeks immediate gratification
• ignores reality
• follows the pleasure principle
• seen in dreams, fantasies, and unconscious wishes
The Id contains:
• instinctual drives
• libido
• aggression
• primitive impulses
Therefore the Id operates using primary process thinking.
Transference is most intense when working with which of the following client groups?
A. Schizophrenia
B. Depression
C. Borderline personality disorder
D. Autism
E. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
⸻
✅ Correct answer
C. Borderline personality disorder
⸻
Transference refers to the process whereby a patient unconsciously redirects feelings, expectations, and relationship patterns from important figures in their past onto the therapist.
This phenomenon is particularly intense in Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).
Why?
Because BPD is characterised by:
• unstable interpersonal relationships
• fear of abandonment
• splitting (idealisation ↔ devaluation)
• intense emotional dependency.
Patients may:
• idealise the therapist (“You’re the only one who understands me”)
• then suddenly devalue them (“You’re just like everyone else”).
This leads to rapid and intense transference reactions.
The term Thanatos is used in psychoanalytic theory to refer to the drive towards which of the following?
A. Sex
B. Control
C. Love
D. Death
E. Power
⸻
✅ Correct answer
D. Death
Thanatos (Death drive)
Thanatos represents an unconscious drive towards death, destruction, and a return to the inorganic state.
It manifests as:
• aggression
• self-destructive behaviour
• repetition compulsion
• destructive impulses.
Freud proposed this concept in “Beyond the Pleasure Principle” (1920).
⸻
Eros (Life drive)
Eros represents drives that promote:
• survival
• reproduction
• love
• sexual behaviour
• preservation of life.
Eros operates through libido.
Which of the following statements is true regarding cognitive therapy?
A. It was devised to treat borderline personality disorder
B. It involves the use of Socratic questioning
C. It was developed by Skinner
D. Transference interpretation is an important aspect
E. It is synonymous with rational emotive therapy
⸻
✅ Correct answer
B. It involves the use of Socratic questioning
⸻
3️⃣ Clear, exam-focused explanation
Cognitive Therapy (CT) was developed by Aaron Beck in the 1960s.
One of its central techniques is Socratic questioning, where the therapist asks guided questions to help the patient examine and challenge their own beliefs.
Instead of telling the patient their thoughts are wrong, the therapist asks questions such as:
• “What evidence supports this belief?”
• “Is there another possible explanation?”
• “What would you say to a friend in this situation?”
This approach helps patients identify and modify cognitive distortions and maladaptive beliefs.
The process promotes collaborative empiricism, meaning therapist and patient work together to test beliefs.
A psychiatrist explains to a trainee that unconscious conflicts between different parts of the mind can influence a patient’s interpersonal relationships and behaviour.
Which model of the mind best reflects this explanation?
A. Biopsychosocial model
B. Cognitive behavioural model
C. Learning theory model
D. Structural model
E. Topographical model
⸻
✅ Correct answer
D. Structural model
The structural model is Freud’s later theoretical development and is the model in which conflict between internal psychological agencies is central. In this model, the mind comprises the id, ego, and superego, and unconscious conflicts arise from the differing demands of instinct, morality, and reality. These conflicts can significantly influence interpersonal functioning, such as repeated patterns of mistrust, guilt, or submissiveness. Importantly, the idea of dynamic conflict does not belong to Freud’s earlier topographical model; it emerged later as Freud refined his understanding of how inner tensions shape behaviour. Clinically, this model is particularly relevant when formulating cases in psychodynamic psychotherapy, where recognising these internal conflicts can guide interpretation, support ego strengthening, and improve relational functioning.
Why the other options are wrong
Topographical model divides the mind into conscious, preconscious, and unconscious regions. It acknowledges that unconscious material exists but does not conceptualise conflict between psychological structures; this conflict-based thinking came later with the structural model. For this reason, despite referencing the unconscious, it is not the best explanation for the scenario described.
Behavioural activation is primarily aimed at treating which of the following conditions?
A. PTSD
B. Sexual fetishism
C. Depression
D. Autism
E. Schizophrenia
⸻
✅ Correct answer
C. Depression
⸻
Behavioural Activation (BA) is a behavioural therapy used to treat depression.
It is based on the idea that depression leads to reduced activity and increased avoidance, which further worsens mood.
This creates a vicious cycle:
Low mood → Reduced activity → Less positive reinforcement → Worse mood.
Behavioural activation breaks this cycle by:
• scheduling rewarding activities
• increasing goal-directed behaviour
• reducing avoidance
• reintroducing positive reinforcement.
By changing behaviour first, mood and thinking patterns improve.
Which of the following statements regarding Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) is correct?
A. It was developed by Anthony Ryle
B. It focuses mainly on current rather than past relationships
C. Client problems are formulated into one of five interpersonal problem areas
D. The average length of therapy is over one year
E. It was developed to treat anxiety
⸻
2️⃣ ✅ Correct answer
B. It focuses mainly on current rather than past relationships
⸻
3️⃣ Clear, exam-focused explanation
Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) is a time-limited structured psychotherapy that focuses on current interpersonal relationships and social functioning rather than exploring early childhood conflicts.
The therapy assumes that psychiatric symptoms occur within an interpersonal context.
Treatment therefore focuses on improving current relationships and social functioning to reduce symptoms.
IPT is particularly used for:
• Depression
• Perinatal depression
• Some eating disorders
It is typically brief (12–16 sessions).
⸻
4️⃣ Why the other options are wrong
A. It was developed by Anthony Ryle
Incorrect.
• Anthony Ryle developed Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT).
• IPT was developed by Gerald Klerman and Myrna Weissman.
⸻
C. Client problems are formulated into one of five interpersonal problem areas
Incorrect.
IPT identifies 4 interpersonal problem areas, not five.
They are:
1. Grief / complicated bereavement
2. Interpersonal disputes
3. Role transitions
4. Interpersonal deficits
⸻
D. The average length of therapy is over one year
Incorrect.
IPT is time-limited, usually 12–16 sessions (around 3–4 months).
⸻
E. It was developed to treat anxiety
Incorrect.
IPT was originally developed for major depressive disorder.
⸻
5️⃣ ⭐ High-yield MRCPsych facts
• IPT founders → Klerman & Weissman
• Focuses on current interpersonal relationships
• Time-limited therapy (12–16 sessions)
• Originally developed for depression
• Uses 4 interpersonal problem areas
