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Attachment, Contemporary Interpersonal Theory and IPT: An Integration of Theoretical, Clinical, and Empirical Perspectives

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Abstract

Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) is an effective, pragmatic treatment for depression but interpersonal explanations of its effectiveness are not fully developed. This paper presents an integration of aspects of attachment theory and contemporary interpersonal theory which explains how interpersonal interactions contribute to a clinical understanding of depression and its treatment through IPT. We test hypotheses of interpersonal change in a case series of depressed patients treated with IPT. The results demonstrate that both attachment insecurity and interpersonal problems improve significantly over a 16 week course of treatment. Further research into the interpersonal processes that alleviate depression is needed.

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Acknowledgement

We wish to acknowledge and thank Dr. Adele Efendov, Dr. Alan Ravitz and Jasna Todorovic for their help with this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Mount Sinai Hospital, 600 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5G 1X5

    Paula Ravitz, Robert Maunder & Carolina McBride

  2. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 250 College Street, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5T 1R8

    Carolina McBride

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  1. Paula Ravitz
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  2. Robert Maunder
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  3. Carolina McBride
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Correspondence to Paula Ravitz.

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Ravitz, P., Maunder, R. & McBride, C. Attachment, Contemporary Interpersonal Theory and IPT: An Integration of Theoretical, Clinical, and Empirical Perspectives. J Contemp Psychother 38, 11–21 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10879-007-9064-y

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