Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) for Schizophrenia

Abstract

Although developed in order to treat depression without psychotic symptoms, Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) may prove to be a useful treatment for patients with schizophrenia. Conceptually, IPT may help to form and structure a treatment model that takes into account specific characteristics of schizophrenia, such as a disorganized thought process and pervasive interpersonal deficits. This paper provides a brief critique of two frequently used psychotherapeutic models, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and insight-oriented therapy, which appear to be fundamentally incongruous with current conceptualizations of schizophrenia. It then lays out a preliminary conceptual adaptation of IPT for use as both an intervention and a maintenance therapy for patients with schizophrenia.