When you consider going to the psychologist for a specific problem or for an emotional disorder, you think that everyone will help you in the same way, but this is not the case. There are different schools within psychology and also different therapies. Each professional specializes in one, so in this article we are informing ourselves about the most used therapies so that you can discover the one that best suits you, your way of being and your problem. On this occasion, we approach interpersonal psychotherapy, a therapy in which the links we create with others have the leading role and which is one of the most effective in overcoming depression. You want to know more?
What is interpersonal psychotherapy
- Interpersonal psychotherapy is a therapy focused on the relationships that the person establishes with others. It was designed with a faster and more effective treatment in mind than traditional ones to overcome depression, although it can be used for other problems and to improve mental health in general.
- The protagonists of this therapy are the links. The links we establish in our interactions with other people and in all areas of life. Many emotional problems arise from toxic relational dynamics. All you have to do is think about the suffocating family with whom you will never be able to meet their expectations, the problems with co-workers that wear you down until you lose motivation, or the psychological abuse within the couple relationship.
- Problems such as guilt, bullying at work, pressure from your parents to be someone else, emotional dependence on your partner, manipulation or blackmail from your circle of friends, the inability to say NO or that need for approval. that leads you to always be aware of others are just some of the behaviors that can lead you to suffer from depression. And in all of them there is a failure in the link with the others.
- Because interpersonal relationships are what enrich our lives, but they can also destroy it. Social interaction directly impacts our mental health, sometimes for the better, but other times for the worse. It is common to overcome a sentimental breakup thanks to the support of friends, for example, but it is more common to fall into an emotional overflow due to relationships with family or with a partner.
Life crises in interpersonal psychotherapy
- Interpersonal psychotherapy attends in moments of vital crisis, but we continue with the importance of bonds. When a bond is broken or disappears, you have to readjust your whole life because of that lack, that absence, and there is not always the strength to do it in the healthiest way.
- The loss of a bond is not only the death of a loved one, although that is the most obvious. A link is also lost with a breakup, with the loss of employment, with retirement, with a move to another country, with a family dispute or with a disagreement with a friend.
- It is the loss of that bond that produces the vital crisis that can be treated and overcome with interpersonal therapy. A therapy that analyzes relationships with others in the present, but also affects those areas that seem exclusive to oneself. What role have your social interactions played in the demotivation that has led you to give up on your dreams?
- It is not about throwing balls out or that it is the fault of others, but about recognizing the importance of the way in which we relate to our lives.
Areas that interpersonal psychotherapy treats
Although interpersonal psychotherapy was originally intended to treat depression, it is also useful when dealing with the life crises that we have already mentioned. This therapy acts in four areas or determining areas for our mental health.
Interpersonal conflicts
What kind of relationships can lead to depression? Generally, we think of toxic couple relationships, with dependency problems, physical or psychological violence and other types of abuse, but not only bad love can destroy your life. There may be conflicts in other areas of life that negatively impact your mental health.
Family disagreements, abuse at work, not adapting to the circle of friends or even a failure in the development of social skills can cause serious emotional problems, including depression.
Grief control
The loss of a family member, a loved one, a friend or a close person is the loss of that bond. Adapting to the new situation, to the lack of that person, to the lack of that relationship implies a process of grieving and overcoming that is not always done in the healthiest way.
Interpersonal deficits
Interpersonal therapy believes that interpersonal deficits can also be resolved. What is this about interpersonal deficits? They are failures in some interaction, such as a misunderstanding with a sibling, family distancing, suffering from an abusive partner, or even a lack of social relationships. More and more people feel lonely due to a lack of friends or close family ties. And there are still people who suffer from not having a partner. These are all interpersonal deficits.
Role transition
A major change in life causes some emotional instability that can have a very intense and negative impact. Interpersonal psychotherapy helps to face the so-called role transition so that it occurs in a more natural way. But what are those moments? Maternity, for example, with the well-known postpartum depression that can encompass much more if it is not treated on time.
But also vital situations that can become traumatic if they are not managed well, such as job loss, retirement, moving to another city, divorce or the independence of children.
How interpersonal therapy works (and how it helps with depression)
Interpersonal psychotherapy is a relatively brief therapy that does not rule out drug treatment. It is divided into three phases:
Evaluation and diagnosis
It is a phase in which the therapist can also alleviate the patient’s symptoms, explain what his disorder consists of and, especially, how he is going to intervene to solve the problem. The therapy focuses on finding out what that person’s relationships are like in the present, the past here does not matter much, at least the distant past. And from here, the problem to be treated is detected.
Intervention
In this stage, strategies are sought to face the problem, reduce the symptoms and present alternatives to the current relational dynamics. Interpersonal therapy can resort to techniques from other schools of psychology, especially cognitive behavioral therapy, but the most appropriate to the patient’s circumstances is sought.
Strengthening
Coping strategies have already been put in place and have already given some results. It is vitally important to point out these achievements to the patient in order to increase self-confidence and confidence in the success of the therapy. In short, a vision is offered that encompasses the entire process and the resources that the patient has obtained during this time and that he will have to continue using are strengthened.
We hope that this has given you a clearer idea of what interpersonal psychotherapy is and how it can help you improve your life.
