Claim: Interpersonal psychotherapy is heavily based on regular personal interaction.

Interpersonal psychotherapy -LRB- IPT -RRB- is a brief , attachment-focused psychotherapy that centers on resolving interpersonal problems and symptomatic recovery . It is an empirically supported treatment -LRB- EST -RRB- that follows a highly structured and time-limited approach and is intended to be completed within 12 -- 16 weeks . IPT is based on the principle that relationships and life events impact mood and that the reverse is also true . It was developed by Gerald Klerman and Myrna Weissman for major depression in the 1970s and has since been adapted for other mental disorders . IPT is an empirically validated intervention for depressive disorders , and is more effective when used in combination with psychiatric medications . Along with cognitive behavioral therapy -LRB- CBT -RRB- , IPT is recommended in treatment guidelines as a psychosocial treatment of choice , and IPT and CBT are the only psychosocial interventions in which psychiatry residents in the United States are mandated to be trained for professional practice .