Interpersonal therapy (IPT) has established itself as a highly effective psychological treatment for most forms of depression. It is a very researchable and teachable one too. Developed within mainstream US psychiatric practice, it works within a traditional diagnostic model. Its range of applications is continuing to expand. Interpersonal therapists need an ability to formulate, to empathise and to facilitate emotional self-expression. This makes IPT an attractive and useful model for nearly all psychiatrists to learn, irrespective of previous psychotherapeutic experience.

Prior to the publication of this excellent volume, the key text was Klermanet al's (Reference Klerman, Weissman and Rounsaville1984) detailed practical guide to IPT technique. Nearly all of it is to be found here, comprising about half the present book. Additional material is of three kinds. First, there is some new material on basic methods, including an extended survey of techniques for use in work with couples. Second, there are detailed practical notes on additional clinical applications, including its use in the elderly and adolescents; dysthymia and bipolar disorders; depression associated with childbirth and HIV; and substance misuse, anxiety and eating disorders. Third, the use of IPT in new formats is discussed, including brief counselling, maintenance treatment, groups and telephone contact. Notes on training resources are also updated.

The notes on IPT technique are always clear and relevant. They are illustrated with case examples, several of which are new. One questionable revision is the now perfunctory discussion of combined treatment with IPT and antidepressants. This assumes that combined treatment presents no significant problems to either patients or therapists and omits basic advice on how combined treatments should be timed. The implications of research seem insufficiently explored here, while a complex clinical issue is excessively simplified. In general, relevant research is introduced without obscuring the book's eminently practical focus, ensuring a long shelf-life. Production maintains the high standards customary in the USA. This ‘comprehensive guide’ lives up to its name and is now the book to have on IPT. No psychiatric library can be without it.