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Future therapy patients may spend much more time exploring virtual environments than sitting on sofas.
In a clinical trial of a new virtual reality treatment for fear of heights, participants said they were less afraid. two weeks. Unlike other VR therapies, which required that a real-life therapist guide patients through treatment, the new system uses an animated avatar to train patients by setting up a virtual tour. This type of fully automated counseling system, described online July 11 in the Lancet Psychiatry can make psychological treatments for phobias and other disorders much more accessible.
This is "a huge step forward," says Jennifer Hames, a clinical psychologist at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, who was not involved in the work. By bringing expert therapy from the counselor's office and into primary care clinics – or even people – the new system could help those who are uncomfortable or unable to afford it. speak face to face with a therapist.
Conquering Fear
Study participants completed what the researchers called the Heights Interpretation Questionnaire, which evaluates fear of heights from 16 to 80 (where 80 is the most severe) before treatment and two weeks later. People who completed the VR program were much less afraid of heights than they were initially, while people who received no treatment were about as scared as before
Users delve into this virtual reality program using a VR headset, a Facilitator guides the user through a 10-story virtual office complex, where the upper floors overlook a ground-level atrium.At each floor, the user performs tasks designed to test their fear responses and Helping them learn that they're starting tasks relatively easily – like standing near a drop-off point where a security fence is gradually diminishing – and progressing toward more challenging challenges – like mounting a mobile platform in the open space above the atrium
Working through these activities, "the person accumulates memories that wander high, counteracting old beliefs about fear," explains Daniel Freema n, Clinical Psychologist at Oxford University. In their program effectiveness, Freeman and his colleagues recruited 100 adult volunteers who had moderately to severely afraid of heights. The researchers randomly assigned 49 people to an RV treatment, which involved using the program for approximately six 30-minute sessions for two weeks, while the other 51 participants were not receiving any treatment.
Participants completed a questionnaire assessing their fear of heights. from 16 to 80 (80 being the most severe), before treatment, immediately after, and two weeks later. Those who received VR treatment lost about 25 points on average on the scale of the questionnaire, while patients who received no treatment remained stable. Participants who used the VR program discovered that they "could go to places that they would not have imagined possible," says Freeman, such as rugged mountains, rope bridges, or simply escalators in shopping centers
. about an edge, I could feel the adrenaline in my legs, this fight / flight thing; it's not happening now, "said one participant. "I'm still getting a little reaction, both in VR and out, but it's much shorter, and I can feel my thighs soften while I'm not getting ready for it. edge." [19659002] While clinical trial results provide strong evidence that the new RV program alleviates fear better than any treatment, researchers still need to study how VR therapy compares to sessions. with a therapist, says Hames. And since the Freeman team has tracked the effects of treatment only a few weeks after their experience, it remains to be seen how long the effects of this therapy last – although previous research on directed VR therapy by a therapist lasted at least a year. Although automated VR therapy may be good news for people who fear height, it is unclear exactly how this type of system could address more complex mental health issues, says Mark Hayward, a clinical psychologist at the University of Ottawa. University of Sussex England. whose commentary on the study appears in the same issue of Lancet Psychiatry . Virtual environments can be well suited to help people who are afraid of everyday situations, such as those who suffer from common phobias, social anxiety or paranoia, says Hayward. But when it comes to helping people with more serious symptoms, such as psychosis, the RV will probably no longer be a substitute for trained therapists anytime soon.
"We can not get carried away and say that we can automate all the treatments," says Albert Rizzo, a clinical virtual reality developer at the University of Southern California at Playa Vista, who does not have to go on. is not involved in the work, but the new autonomous system to curb the fear of heights is "an excellent first effort."
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