Couple‐based interventions for psychopathology

Abstract

Relationship functioning and psychopathology are strongly associated with one another. In this article we provide a selective review of the literature on relationship discord and the presence, incidence and individual‐based treatment of psychiatric disorders. We then present a model for conceptualizing couple‐based interventions with couples in which one partner has a psychiatric disorder, distinguishing between partner‐assisted interventions, disorder‐specific interventions and couple therapy interventions. Finally, we provide examples of how to employ these interventions with several psychiatric disorders (obsessive‐compulsive disorder, anorexia nervosa and depression) and selectively review the efficacy of couple‐based interventions in the treatment of psychopathology.