A depression treatment that starts with understanding yourself and others

What if treating depression could go beyond just alleviating symptoms? A recent study published in General Psychiatry suggests that dynamic interpersonal therapy (DIT), a short-term psychodynamic approach, might help people with major depressive disorder (MDD) by improving their capacity to understand their own thoughts and feelings, as well as those of others.

Researchers at Shanghai Mental Health Center studied 230 patients with MDD over 16 weeks. They compared those receiving DIT combined with antidepressant medication to those receiving medication alone.

The results revealed that patients in the DIT group showed significantly greater improvement in depressive symptoms. These patients also demonstrated more improvement in mentalising capacity—the ability to accurately understand their own and others' mental states. Notably, the study found that the symptoms relief may be mediated by the improvement of mentalising capacity. These findings suggest that DIT doesn't just simply relieve symptoms but also addresses underlying psychological mechanisms.

"What makes DIT unique is its specific focus on how patients understand themselves and others in interpersonal contexts," said Dr. Jianyin Qiu, the corresponding author of the study. "By targeting these mentalising processes, we're helping patients build psychological tools they can use long after therapy ends."

The augmentation effects of DIT on other psychological functions will be further explored. For patients struggling with both depressive symptoms and relationship challenges, this approach offers a pathway to not just feeling better, but understanding themselves and their connections with others more deeply.