Interpersonal Therapy
Interpersonal therapy is based on the idea that stressful life events can trigger episodes of depression; in turn, depression can interfere with a person's ability to function socially and can provoke negative life events. This type of therapy has been demonstrated to be effective for major depression. It has also been adapted to treat specific types of depression, eating disorders, anxiety disorders and other symptoms.
Interpersonal psychotherapy is a short-term therapy lasting about 12 to 16 sessions, in which a client focuses on current interpersonal difficulties in her life. Therapists using this approach focus on the connections between current life events and the onset of depressive symptoms. Specific problem areas in the client's life are identified, and the client and therapist explore how it relates to the illness. By solving an interpersonal problem in her life, the client improves her life situation and at the same time relieves the symptoms of her illness.
The interpersonal therapist stresses that depression is a medical illness, and helps the client to educate herself about the condition. The therapist also helps the client to recognize that she suffers from a common mood disorder with a predictable set of symptoms – not a personal failure, weakness or character flaw, as a depressed person often believes.
