How Interpersonal Psychotherapy Really Works

Initially designed to help treat depression, interpersonal psychotherapy targets problems with interpersonal relationships. Those with depression tend to have trouble developing relationships. By working on relationships first, it's possible to create a stronger and more supportive network that can help the individual through the rest of their treatment and therapy. But it's a process that requires the right assistance from a skilled therapist.

What Is Interpersonal Psychotherapy?

This type of therapy is characterized by its focus on relationships with others. Instead of focusing only on the patient and their specific situation, with interpersonal therapy, it's essential to focus on how the patient gets along with other people and how they relate to other people. Understanding relationships and even learning more about how to build them up and create new ones helps with other areas of mental health and therefore is the first step in treating a range of mental health disorders.

Developed in the 1970s, this type of therapy is touted by the American Psychological Association and the National Institutes of Health. That's because multiple studies have shown it to be effective and efficient for some types of mental health disorders. When used alone or with medications, it can be highly effective.

How Does It Work?

Interpersonal therapy looks at role disputes, interpersonal shortcomings, life stage transitions, grief, attachment issues, and relational conflict. All of these things can affect depression, but there's more to this type of therapy than that. It can also work for those suffering from anxiety, eating disorders, substance abuse issues, bipolar disorder, postpartum depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, social phobias, and dysthymia. The process of receiving treatment, however, is very similar in most instances.

This type of therapy is generally short, usually about 20 weeks or less, but allows the individual to feel relief from many of their symptoms. With interpersonal therapy, the patient will generally be able to see results more quickly than with other types of treatment. There is a range of different components of the therapy itself as well, including things like role-play and discussion. The key is looking at relationships and the individual's problems with them to make the necessary changes.

Because the therapy is so short, it's also considered more effective in other areas. For one thing, it's easier for patients to continue because it doesn't take very long. That means the patient is more likely to get all the benefits of the treatment they need to overcome their mental health condition. This is also a better idea for patients because it allows them to get the help they need in a more concentrated way that they can feel comfortable committing to. If they need additional help, it becomes easier to commit to another session.

Where It Doesn't Work

While interpersonal psychotherapy is a great way to treat some different conditions, it's not effective for everything. This type of therapy requires that the person in treatment or looking for therapy wants to change their life and can do so. The individual must also understand their interpersonal relationships to make the changes. For some people, this can be difficult, especially if other mental health conditions are present simultaneously.

Patients who aren't willing or able to make changes in their life or that aren't able to fully understand their interpersonal relationships may need to seek out different types of therapy. They may need to work on other mental health problems before they can use interpersonal psychotherapy to help them overcome relationship difficulties or use this type of therapy to help with depression treatment.

Getting Additional Help

If you're looking for help or struggling with mental health conditions and aren't sure where to seek help, you should seek additional support from a mental health professional. 

Finding someone you feel comfortable with and are interested in working with on something extremely personal can be challenging. 

MyTherapist is one way to get the help you're looking for when it comes to finding a depression therapist. You can visit the site to learn more about mental health conditions and find a therapist. This service lets you talk with a therapist directly online instead of visiting a physical location. That will make things easier for you because you can log on to the website and speak with your therapist, just like that. Research shows that online therapy is effective; one review of 14 studies found that online treatment was just as effective as in-person. If you’re interested in learning more, sign up to get started.

Takeaway

Interpersonal psychotherapy focuses on relationships and communication, and while it can be challenging, it is proven to be an effective treatment for depression and other mental health disorders. Reach out to an online therapist to learn more about interpersonal therapy.