Short-term Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) with the Depressed Elderly: Case Reports and Discussion

Abstract

Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT), a short-term treatment developed and tested for use with ambulatory depressed patients, has been successfully applied to elderly patients in a recent pilot study. Case reports of treated elderly patients are presented and the specific utility of IPT for this population is described. The potential of short-term psychotherapies for the treatment of the elderly is discussed and research directions are outlined.