IPT Across Cultures and in Resource-Poor Countries

This chapter covers the dissemination of IPT across cultures and in resource-poor countries such as Uganda and Ethiopia. Two important organizations are described: the World Health Organization and the International Society of Interpersonal Psychotherapy, a multidisciplinary, nonprofit, noncommercial international organization that is committed to the advancement of IPT through research, training, and dissemination. The principles of adapting IPT to different cultural contexts are straightforward, although IPT clinicians must proceed carefully in approaching cultures to which they do not belong. This chapter describes the development and results of IPT programs adapted for use with depressed patients in Uganda. As IPT proved easily transplantable to Uganda, it is likely to fit into many cultures with relatively minor adjustment. Implementation of IPT for humanitarian reasons is growing at an impressive pace.