[Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) of depression: an overview of the psychiatric historical background and clinical practice of IPT]. / Die Interpersonelle Psychotherapie (IPT) in der Depressionsbehandlung: ein Uberblick über den psychiatriegeschichtlichen Hintergrund und die psychotherapeutische Praxis der IPT.

Among the forms of short-term psychotherapies for the treatment of depression, IPT (16 - 20 sessions) by Klerman u. Mitarb. is meanwhile one of the most well known and clinically practiced approaches. IPT has also been carefully controlled in a variety of studies proving efficacy. Interpersonal psychotherapy is based on the ideas of the interpersonal school of psychiatry. The hypothesis is that psychiatric illnesses and here depression develop in an interpersonal context. Life problems may contribute to onset and potentially chronicity of (current) depression and vice versa. By enhancing interpersonal functioning of the depressed patient IPT initiates the reduction of depressive symptomatology and helps solving of current life problems as dual goal of therapy.