Interpersonal Therapy

The following introduction to Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) or Interpersonal Relationship Therapy as it is sometimes called, was written for us by Dr Timothy Sharp, Clinical Psychologist.

Professor Gordon Parker, psychiatrist and Director of the Black Dog Institute in NSW, has prepared a summary of an IPT paper that was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders in 2005.  This looks at the evidence put forward for IPT as a treatment for depression

There are a number of books on IPT available at the Human Condition Bookstore (located in Kew, Victoria (and this link goes to their online shop).
 

Like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) or Interpersonal Relationship Therapy as it is often called, does not aim to solve every problem in a depressed person's life nor does it aim to change everything about them and their personality.

Interpersonal psychotherapy is also like CBT in that it actively aims to solve problems, is time-limited rather than long-term, is focused rather than open-ended, and is based in the present rather than the past.
 

In contrast to CBT, IPT focuses less on trying to change unhelpful and self-defeating thoughts and behaviours for their own sake and much more, in fact almost exclusively, on interpersonal relationships.

Any problems that are identified, including troubling behaviours and attitudes, are explored in the context of, and in terms of interpersonal relations.
 

The goals of interpersonal psychotherapy are not dissimilar to other psychological therapies and are very much the same as CBT in that it aims to reduce the troubling symptoms of depression.   Once again, however, there is a very strong focus on improving the sufferer's interpersonal functioning (i.e., how they relate to, and interact with other important individuals in their lives).
 

People who have completed a course of IPT typically report feeling significantly happier and more satisfied with, and in, their relationships.   As a result, they often report improvements in other areas of their lives.

While many people find IPT helpful in dealing with their depression, this is usually when problems with relationships are one of the factors behind / contributing to their depression. 

Note that with severe major depression, antidepressant medication is often needed to get us well enough to be able to actively engage in and benefit from any psychotherapy.