What does it take for a single idea to travel from a research lab in New Haven to war zones in Uganda, refugee camps in Malaysia, and clinics across 30 countries and six continents? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Myrna Weissman, one of the most consequential figures in modern psychiatry, to find out.

Dr. Weissman co-developed Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) alongside her late husband, Dr. Gerald Klerman, on a simple premise: that human suffering is deeply tied to human connection. Grief. Conflict. Loneliness. Life upended. These are not niche clinical categories, but rather a universal language of distress. And IPT was built to respond to it.

In this conversation, Dr. Weissman reflects on five decades of research, the pandemic-era project that became a sweeping global volume (now available free via open access), and what it means to build something that outlives its origins.

*This episode briefly mentions suicide.

(Re-post: This is one of our most beloved episodes, brought back by popular demand. If you’ve heard it before, we hope it moves you just as much the second time.)

What Is Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) and Why Does It Work?

IPT links the emergence of psychiatric symptoms to what is happening in a person’s current life. It focuses on four core problem areas:

1. Grief — the loss of a loved one

2. Disputes — conflict with someone important to you

3. Transitions — life changes, even positive ones, that disrupt relationships

4. Loneliness/Isolation — chronic or newly developed lack of attachment

These four areas have proven to resonate across vastly different cultures because they reflect fundamental aspects of the human condition. Dr. Weissman emphasizes that IPT is not the only evidence-based psychotherapy — it is “one tool in the toolbox, not a religion.”

IPT for Adolescents

Adolescence is a prime time for IPT’s problem areas, especially disputes, transitions, and loneliness. Key takeaways for parents:

• Try to understand the specific stressors behind an adolescent’s symptoms rather than reacting to global, dramatic statements.

• Always be alert to the possibility of suicidal ideation.

• Communication barriers between teens and parents are common; a trusted third party (grandparent, therapist, family friend) can sometimes serve as a valuable bridge.

The New Book: IPT Around the World

This book is now available open access for readers everywhere!

The COVID-19 pandemic gave Dr. Weissman the unexpected opportunity to connect with IPT practitioners worldwide. What began as a routine update to the standard IPT manual grew into a sweeping collaborative volume covering more than 30 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

Contributors were asked: What are you doing? What works? What doesn’t? What adaptations did you need to make?

Notable chapters include:

• Uganda — IPT was introduced around 2003 amid civil war and a mental health crisis. A landmark clinical trial published in JAMA confirmed its effectiveness. Sean Mabry, a former WHO worker, went on to treat hundreds of thousands of people using IPT, even by telephone during the pandemic, and has now established a low-cost program in New Jersey.

• China — After government engagement and training by Columbia experts, IPT became what practitioners called a “rapidly growing practice,” with books, training programs, and internet-based delivery.

• Malaysia — IPT has been applied with refugees, using the “transitions” framework to help people process displacement and profound loss.

• Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Senegal, Zambia, Uganda) — Adaptations have been made for cultural context, including how disputes are communicated and resolved within different family and community structures.

• Japan and Hong Kong — Initial resistance to psychotherapy has given way to growing acceptance and translated materials.

• United States special populations — Chapters cover Alaska Natives, people who are incarcerated, sexual and gender minorities, pre-adolescents, adolescents, and older adults.

Cultural Adaptations

Dr. Weissman shares a vivid example from Uganda: women in marital disputes are often encouraged not to confront their husbands directly, but to work through an elder who mediates. The underlying IPT principle, that the dispute is driving the symptoms, remains intact; only the implementation changes.

Resources Mentioned

• International Society of Interpersonal Psychotherapy (ISIPT) — volunteer-run, affordable membership, biannual international conference (10th meeting held in the UK, March 2024)

• Dr. Weissman’s new book on IPT across international sites — published Open Access, freely available to practitioners and researchers worldwide

• Oxford University Press — publisher of the standard IPT manual

About the Guest

Dr. Myrna Weissman is the Diana Goldman Kemper Family Professor of Epidemiology and Psychiatry at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and Mailman School of Public Health, and Chief of the Division of Translational Epidemiology at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Alongside her late husband, Dr. Gerald Klerman, she co-developed Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT), now backed by over 140 clinical trials, translated into numerous languages, and recommended by the World Health Organization.

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Connect with Your Host, Dr. Jennifer Reid

Dr. Jennifer Reid is a physician, the host of A Mind of Her Own, and the author of Guilt Free: Reclaiming Your Life from Unreasonable Expectations — available at major retailers.

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