Depression is a mental health issue that interferes with how an individual feels, thinks, and acts. This mental health disorder mostly affects adults, although it is not considered a normal part of aging. In some cases, many adults in the US, especially those over 65, tend to feel unsatisfied with their lives despite being free from illnesses or physical disabilities. Older adults tend to experience depression in many forms, which tend to last longer. Depression in older adults lasts longer, especially if physical disabilities and other mental illnesses accompany the condition. Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) is short-term approach practitioners use to treat mood disorders like depression (Duffy et al., 2019). Therapists recommend a combination of antidepressants and therapy as the best treatment for depression, especially in older secondary care patients. Research shows that IPT proves to be the ideal form of psychotherapy for older patients in primary care.
Integration of IPT in any clinical practice is successful when there is a collaboration between the general practitioners (GP) in the clinic and therapists. GPs find it hard t administer this form of therapy due to little or no professional background in the subject (Van Schaik et al., 2007). IPT also tends to be time-consuming, which can end up interrupting normal schedules in the clinic. There is also a need for training that needs to be offered to the GPs to ensure there are no clashes and help with the recovery of the patients. Therapy sessions are often very expensive (Van Schaik et al., 2007). Patients tend to go untreated or ignore their illnesses due to financial constraints. Practitioners intending to integrate this form of therapy into clinical practice should make sure that it is affordable. This form of therapy also effectively treats depression among children adolescents (Duffy et al., 2019). IPT is effective in treating severe depression, which is relationships issues. Children and teenagers mostly experience ongoing depressive symptoms from problems in relationships around them.
References
Duffy, F., Sharpe, H., & Schwannauer, M. (2019). Review: The effectiveness of interpersonal psychotherapy for adolescents with depression – a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 24(4), 307-317. https://doi.org/10.1111/camh.12342
Van Schaik, D. J., Van Marwijk, H. W., Beekman, A. T., De Haan, M., & Van Dyck, R. (2007). In general practice, interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) for late-life depression: Uptake and satisfaction by patients, therapists and physicians. BMC Family Practice, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2296-8-52
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