Implementation of Brief Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy at the VA

The goal of the proposed project is to collect data from clinician files and the electronic medical record to describe the clinical implementation of Brief Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT), an individual psychotherapy for depression and anxiety, at the VA through psychology staff and trainees between 2012-present. The study will collect data on patient characteristics (e.g. demographics, diagnoses, reasons for referral, etc.), attendance, and treatment outcome of depression, anxiety and psychosocial functioning to evaluate and describe the feasibility of implementing DIT at the VA.

Medical records of veterans who were provided with DIT treatment between 2012-present will be reviewed and data on patient characteristics (which will include demographic information, diagnoses, reasons for referral, etc.), treatment compliance, and treatment outcome as measured by changes in depression, anxiety, and psychosocial functioning during the treatment period and up to the present will be collected. The investigators estimate that approximately 100 Veterans have been offered and/or provided DIT since 2012 by psychology trainees and staff. This study will provide preliminary data on the feasibility of implementing DIT treatment at the VA. The first trial of DIT for MDD in the VHA is currently being conducted by the PI and the information from the retrospective chart review would help to provide additional data as part of a proposal for a larger scale RCT of DIT.