Youll usually do this throw in of therapy for 12 to 16 sessions.
Find out which option is the best for you.
What Is Interpersonal Therapy?
SDI Productions / Getty Images
Interpersonal therapy (IPT) is a short-term key in ofpsychotherapythat treats mental health conditions, including depression.
Youll usually do it for 12 to 16 sessions.
Back when IPT was developed, many mental health professionals considered depression to be person-based."
As you might have guessed from the name, interpersonal therapy techniques focus on your relationships and social interactions.
This includes how much support you have from others and how these relationships affect your mental health.
Interpersonal Therapy Types
There are a couple of adaptations of interpersonal therapy: dynamic and metacognitive.
Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy
Dynamic interpersonal therapy (DIT) is also called psychodynamic interpersonal therapy ormentalization-based therapy.
If you do this kind of IPT, youll typically have 16 sessions over the course of five months.
One 12-week study found that MIT helped reduce depression symptoms and improve a persons ability to identify their emotions.
Interpersonal Therapy Techniques
IPT approaches treating depression by improvingrelationships.
These relationships are grouped according to four main problem areas.
Grief
Depression can happen after the loss of a loved one.
There are two kinds of unresolved grief: delayed or distorted.
Delayed grief remains for a long time after the loss.
There is a disconnect between your expectations and your partners real-life behavior, and it can lead to depression.
Your therapist can help you determine which area is most responsible for your current challenges.
IPT is then directed at helping you deal with the specific interpersonal challenge you’re having.
What Does Interpersonal Therapy Treat?
Click below to listen now.
IPT is effective for differenttypesand severity of depressive disorders as well as other mental health conditions.
For some people, IPT works best when its combined with medications.
Heres what research has found about IPT:
Is Interpersonal Therapy Right for You?
Mental health conditions like depression and eating disorders can be chronic or recurrent.
What Interpersonal Therapy Is Like
IPT usually lasts for 12 to 16 weeks.
Your sessions are structured and will involve regular assessments, therapist interviews, and homework assignments.
Next, you will work with your therapist to address specific areas where youre having the most trouble.
Some people have found that combining IPT with otherdepression treatmentsoffers the best results.
2016;173(7):680-7. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2015.15091141
International Society of Interpersonal Psychotherapy.Overview of IPT.
Interpersonal Therapy Institute.Interpersonal psychotherapy.
A nationwide follow-up of teenage loss of a parent to cancer 6-9 years earlier.Support Care Cancer.
Published online August 1, 2017:55-63. doi:10.1093/med-psych/9780190662592.003.0006
Weissman MM, Markowitz JC, Klerman GL.Role Transitions.Oxford University Press eBooks.
2017;47(3):414-425. doi:10.1017/S0033291716002774
