Open AccessInterpersonal psychotherapy for PTSD: Treating trauma without exposure.
Author(s) -
Kathryn L. Bleiberg,
John C. Markowitz
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of psychotherapy integration
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.56
H-Index - 33
eISSN - 1573-3696
pISSN - 1053-0479
DOI - 10.1037/int0000113
Subject(s) - interpersonal psychotherapy , psychotherapist , psychology , interpersonal communication , mood , clinical psychology , posttraumatic stress , integrative psychotherapy , depression (economics) , psychiatry , interpersonal relationship , medicine , randomized controlled trial , social psychology , surgery , economics , macroeconomics
Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) is a time-limited, diagnosis-targeted psychotherapy originally developed for the treatment of major depression. Research studies have repeatedly demonstrated its efficacy in treating mood disorders and other psychiatric disorders over the past forty years. As IPT is a life-event based treatment that focuses on improving interpersonal functioning, it seemed natural to adapt it for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a life-event based illness that affects interpersonal functioning. Preliminary data suggest that IPT has equal efficacy in alleviating PTSD symptoms as Prolonged Exposure, the best tested exposure-based treatment. We describe the principles of IPT and its modifications for treating PTSD. A case illustration describes a patient with PTSD related to military trauma. The authors discuss their reluctance to integrate IPT for PTSD with other psychotherapeutic perspectives.