Interpersonal psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Abstract

This chapter provides a background of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is a debilitating syndrome that causes patients to suffer from anxiety, mistrust, depressive symptoms, emotional detachment, and reexperiencing painful memories. It describes evidence-based treatments for PTSD, such as pharmacotherapy with serotonin reuptake inhibitors. It also points out how PTSD is the ideal target for a therapy that focuses on the connection between mood symptoms and life events. The chapter highlights how interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT), as an affect-focused therapy, approaches PTSD differently from exposure-based treatments. It talks about the inclusion of IPT in the latest US Department of Defense/Veterans Administration treatment guidelines as a treatment for PTSD.