[Interpersonal psychotherapy in the treatment of depression in older adults]

In this paper, the authors explain why Interpersonal Psychotherapy (PTI) is a particularly apt psychosocial treatment for depression in older adults ; they discuss issues that can emerge in the process of implementing PTI with older adults ; review the research conducted on older adults treated with PTI, and present two case summaries to illustrate the application of PTI to this population. PTI suits depressed older adults especially well because its foci match many of the issues that older adults face and that for some can trigger depression. In addition, PTI is a good fit for older adults because of its psychoeducational component, use of the medical paradigm, and collaborative, problem-focused, time-limited nature. PTI necessitates very little adaptation for older adults but should be informed by knowledge of gerontology and geropsychology. Some research and their clinical practice suggest that acute (i.e., weekly) PTI reduces depression symptoms in older adults but more research needs to be conducted. Interpersonal Counseling, a modified version of PTI, has been found to be effective in the treatment of depressive symptoms in older adults with medical problems. Continuation/Maintenance (i.e., monthly) PTI has been shown to be beneficial to some but not all older adults with major depression. Two cases are described that illustrate the implementation of PTI. One case focuses on interpersonal disputes and the other focuses on role transition.