Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)

About My Depression

What does it feel like to be depressed?

Depression is more than a mood. It effects how people feel physically, behave in relationships, think and manage daily routines. You may have noticed some, or all, of these symptoms.

• Unhappy most of the time
• Have lost interest in people and things that I used to enjoy.
• Talk about feeling guilty, ashamed or worthless.
• Look anxious and agitated.
• Have lost confidence in myself.
• Have problems in concentrating and making decisions.
• Have been irritable and perhaps angry.
• Haven’t been looking after myself as much as usual.
• Have been tearful and easily upset.
• May have talked about life not been worth living.
• Have lost my appetite.
• Might have been forgetful.
• Not sleeping
• Not able to cope with things that I used to manage.
• I’m very tired.

Why did I get depressed?

It’s not always obvious why people get depression. Some people are more vulnerable to depression if they have been depressed before or if they are physically unwell or it runs in families. This vulnerability can be triggered if they face major changes or losses such as a change in circumstances such as a job loss, loss of friendship group, moving to a new house, health loss etc.

What is useful to know about depression.

Depression is a very common mental health problem affecting 1 in 4 people. If differs from the low mood we all experience at times because it is more unpleasant, lasts longer, interferes with day-to-day life and with relationships. Mild depression involves at least 5 of the symptoms described above and it will have some impact on how people manage day to day. Moderate or severe depression involves more symptoms and has a greater impact on work, family and social life which people find difficult to manage. It isn’t possible to just “snap out” of depression but it is possible to help people to recover from this illness. People typically become depressed for a period – usually 4 to 6 months – and then recover but an episode of depression can last much longer than this. Depression also comes back for about ½ of the people who have had it before and for many people it is more helpful to think about managing their depression rather than curing it.

What treatments are available?

Depression is treatable. Treatments include self-help, talking therapies and medication. These different approaches can be used individually or together. Self-help is most useful when a person has mild depression. If depression is moderate or severe, talking therapy or medication have been shown to be helpful for many people.

Treatment includes Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) with a qualified IPT therapist.
However, people can also continue to self-help outside of the 1:1 treatment. It may be useful to do some reading as well as receiving IPT

Because most of the work takes place in current relationships, we encourage you to involve partners, friends and family and to show them how they can help.

In IPT, we treat depression by focussing on the difficulties that people experience when faced with significant change and loss. Depression can affect relationships; we focus on the connection between depression and relationships breaking down the negative spiral and make improvements in both more likely. Family and friends can make an important contribution in this approach to my recovery.

Antidepressants can help.  They can help you to reduce the symptoms and make it easier for you to join in with other people and to cope better so you can start enjoying life and dealing with problems effectively again. Anti-depressants are not addictive – it isn’t necessary to take more over time to have the same effect. However, it might be necessary for you to try more than one medication to find the type and dose that it effective for you. Anti-depressant medications are designed to take over months and sometimes years and you should take them for some time after the symptoms have improved to help to protect against future risk. It can be very helpful for you to have the support of friends etc to persevere with treatment so that you can get as much benefit as possible.

People can recover from depression without any treatment, but it is likely to take longer and less likely to work if depression is moderate or severe. It is beneficial for everyone when depression is treated more quickly.

Advice to partners and friends on how they can help you.

• Try to be a good listener – even if you hear the same thing several times.
• Try not to judge or solve the problems. It may be too soon to talk about solutions.
• Encourage me to tell you how I feel.
• Give advice if I ask you and work with me to find a solution
• Spend time with me and support me in doing things that I enjoy
• Encourage me to keep going with helpful routines and be patient with me if I have to build this up gradually. Examples:
  • Taking regular exercise
  • Eating well
  • Avoiding alcohol
  • Spending relaxing time with friends
• Remind me that depression is treatable and it’s not my fault
• If I am irritable:
  • slow down, remain neutral and try not to react.
  • Listen for opportunities to acknowledge how I’m feeling
  • Don’t try to have a conversation about important issues or decisions, at this time, as it will likely be unproductive
  • Plan to have the discussion at some other (specific) time and be sure to return to it at the time agreed
• If I was to talk about things being hopeless or wanting to die, take me seriously. About 80% of people with depression think about dying. It’s less likely that I will be planning to harm myself, but these thoughts are frightening, and I feel isolated when I have them. It’s OK to talk about these thoughts. Don’t worry that you will be encouraging me to harm myself by talking about them. Its reassuring to know that someone will listen and give support when needed.
• During my IPT treatment I have developed a story about my depression. I’d like to tell you my story. By doing this, it will help us both to understand my experience and to talk about it in a way that will be useful for both of us. By listening, you will help me to develop my story including the way our friendship / relationship has helped.
• There may be times when our relationship has difficulties – disagreements/ falling out etc. Our relationship may have already suffered because of my depression. Neither of us is to be blamed for that. Sorting out relationship difficulties can make an important contribution in helping me to recover from depression. You can make a valuable contribution towards this process.

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