Interpersonal psychotherapy for elderly patients in primary care

Objective: Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) is recommended in most depression treatment guidelines, but little is known about its effectiveness in real-life practice. This study investigates whether IPT, delivered by mental health workers to elderly patients with major depressive disorder, is more effective than usual general practitioners' care (CAU). Methods: A pragmatic randomized, controlled trial was conducted in which 143 patients were allocated to IPT (10 sessions) or to CAU. PRIMary care Evaluation of Mental Disorders (PRIME-MD) and Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) assessments were used as primary outcomes. Results: IPT was significantly more effective in reducing the percentage of patients with a diagnosis of depression (PRIME-MD), but not in inducing remission (MADRS < 10). Among treatment completers, IPT was superior in improving social and overall mental functioning. A post hoc analysis revealed that IPT was superior to CAU in moderately to severely depressed patients, but not significantly so in mildly depressed patients. Conclusions: IPT was more effective than CAU for elderly patients with moderate to severe major depressive disorder in general practice. Future research should focus on determinants of treatment outcome.