Interpersonal psychotherapy: History and future

Abstract

This review details the history of the development of interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT), beginning at Yale University when Dr. Gerald Klerman led a maintenance study of the treatment of depression. The trial aimed to mimic clinical practice and, therefore, included psychotherapy. This review describes the first IPT clinical trial, subsequent trials, and numerous IPT adaptations for different age groups, formats (group, telephone, computer), disorders, and educational levels of mental health trainees. As of 2017, at least 133 clinical trials of IPT had been carried out worldwide. This review also describes challenges associated with training clinicians to deliver evidence-based psychotherapy. It concludes with a discussion of future directions for IPT, which include expanding training to community health workers and testing IPT in low- and middle-income countries.