title: Recovery from depression: a discourse analysis of interpersonal psychotherapy.
abstract: This paper describes a discourse analysis of the process of interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) in the recovery from depression. It demonstrates how IPT is an effective treatment strategy for mental health nurses to utilise in the treatment of depression. The discourse analysis highlights how the development of more meaningful subject positions enables one woman to recover from her depression. The process of recovery is underpinned by an understanding of women's depression as promoted by contemporary social and cultural expectations for detachment and reflexivity. This paper shows how IPT provides an opportunity for recovery from depression for one woman by facilitating a reconstruction of her subject positions in relation to others. The discourse analysis revealed that the therapist facilitated this through the use of a range of techniques: seeking information, exploring beliefs/values/assumptions, exploring communication patterns, exploring affective responses and exploring alternative subject positions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences, PO Box 4345, Christchurch, New Zealand. marie.crowe@chmeds.ac.nz
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Crowe
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Luty
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003142:Communication; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008603:Mental Health; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012307:Risk Factors; D012649:Self Concept; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology; D035502:Trust; D014930:Women / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D016387:Women's Health