The authors of this article aimed to provide empirical support for an interpersonal therapy intervention for decreasing levels of depression and anxiety for adults in a specific resource-scarce community in India. The team of researchers in the study include members of Columbia University Teachers College Global Mental Health Lab, which investigates empirically supported treatments for depressed adults in rural parts globally. The team has worked with adults in southern Uganda and Colombia, war-affected adolescents in camps in northern Uganda, distressed patients in primary care in Goa, India, as in this article, and war-affected Syrian refugees in Lebanon, among others. One highlighted issue is that rural women especially are more vulnerable to mental health issues than men at the rate of 2:1, due to a lack of education, increased violence and abuse, and multiple pregnancies. Further, maternal depression affects the entire household, especially child malnutrition, growth and development. Therefore, when assets go to women, the whole household and community benefit. The team has developed a randomized-control trial intervention, titled “Interpersonal Psychotherapy,” a structured 8-session intervention that can be implemented by community members and lay counselors in a group format.

In this study, high-risk and suicidal cases were also given referrals to clinical specialists and provided psychoeducation. The control intervention included usual care by primary care physicians. Mental health symptoms were assessed with ICD criteria prior to the start of treatment, at discharge, and at the 6-month follow-up. Findings indicated that overall there was a modest beneficial effect for the intervention on recovery from common mental disorders at 6 months, with a statistically significant effect in primary healthcare centers but not in private facilities. The authors speculated that in private facilities, the physicians could be more motivated to improve the individual care of their patients and utilize an approach that is already interpersonal and client-centered in nature. Overall, it is important to continue to test treatments for mental health conditions in various parts of the world for applicability, effectiveness, and feasibility, given differing cultural norms, approaches to healthcare, and urban versus rural environments.

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Daria Diakonova-Curtis, Ph.D.

Dr. Daria Diakonova-Curtis received her PhD degree in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University, San Francisco. Currently, Dr. Diakonova-Curtis is completing her clinical postdoc year with CHE Behavioral Health Services in New York City and is looking forward to being licensed as clinical psychologist in the state of NY soon. Dr. Diakonova-Curtis is also a member of a UN-affiliated non-profit organization, Association for Trauma Outreach and Prevention, Meaningfulworld, where members respond to disasters around the world by leading workshops and healing groups to reduce the effects of traumatic events and increase resilience. Dr. Diakonova-Curtis is originally from St. Petersburg, Russia, and spent the last three years as a postdoctoral fellow at St. Petersburg State University, investigating factors that put Russian women at risk for HIV. Dr. Diakonova-Curtis is a member of the Diversity Committee of Division 29, and is passionate about bringing issues of diversity, international issues, and social justice into the realm of psychotherapy.