The impact of brief dynamic interpersonal therapy (DIT) on veteran depression and anxiety

A significant proportion of veterans continue to experience depression or anxiety following treatment with the empirically supported psychotherapies offered by the Veterans Health Administration. Continued development and testing of new treatments may be useful. Brief dynamic interpersonal therapy (DIT) is a short-term psychodynamic therapy developed for depression in the United Kingdom and is being disseminated as an alternative to cognitive behavioral therapy within the National Health Service. This study represents the first evaluation of DIT in the United States, implemented at a veterans affairs medical center for veterans with depression and/or anxiety. Electronic medical records of veterans receiving DIT from 2012 to 2018 at a New York-based veterans affairs medical center were reviewed. Linear mixed-effects models were used to analyze depression and anxiety scores collected at each session from the Patient Health Questionnaire and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder seven-item scale. Following DIT, patients presenting with clinically significant depression and/or anxiety reported a 46% reduction in Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scores (N = 60) and a 43% reduction in Generalized Anxiety Disorder seven-item scale scores (N = 46). Large effect sizes on both measures were found (d = 1.17, 95% CI [0.88, 1.47], p < .0001; d = 1.24, 95% CI [0.90, 1.58], p < .0001, respectively). DIT is a promising alternative to currently offered psychotherapies for veterans with depression and anxiety. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).