Interpersonal Psychotherapy for the Treatment of Depression Among Adults and Adolescents

Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) is an evidence-based and globally accepted treatment for depression among adults and adolescents. In this article, we provide a review of the literature on IPT and its briefer counterpart, interpersonal counseling (IPC), for use with adults and adolescents. We provide a history of IPT's development; an overview of IPT, IPC, and IPT for adolescents (IPT-A); a review of meta-analyses, systematic reviews, and studies conducted in the past decade; and a summary of developments in novel technologies. IPT has shown moderate to large effects in treating depression. Developments in IPC have exhibited expansions to new global settings and populations. IPT-A has been established as effective, and it has most often been studied in comparison to cognitive behavioral therapy, with variable results as to which treatment is more effective. Innovations in technology to support providers and clients have been emerging. Key recommendations are to examine implementation factors, cultural adaptations, the use of IPT and IPT-A for prevention of depression, and technology-driven delivery strategies for providers and clients.