Interpersonal Psychotherapy

Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) was developed in 1984 by Klerman, Weissman, and colleagues for the outpatient short-term therapy of unipolar depression. Following evidence of its efficacy, IPT was adapted for the treatment of other mental disorders, including the eating disorders bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge-eating disorder (BED), for which IPT represents the main alternative treatment to cognitive- behavioral therapy. First adaptation results are also available for anorexia nervosa (AN). This chapter presents the theoretical foundations and practical approach of IPT for eating disorders and discusses the evidence base in the context of the current state of research.