10 May Virtual Reality Environments Can Advance Psychiatric Treatment and Research

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Jessica Maples-Keller

Jessica Maples-Keller
Emory University School of Medicine.

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response:  This manuscript is a review of the use of Virtual Reality (VR) technology within psychiatric treatment. VR refers to an advanced technological communication interface in which the user is actively participated in a computer generated 3-d virtual world that includes sensory input devices used to simulate real-world interactive experiences. VR is a powerful tool for the psychiatric community, as it allows providers to create computer-generated environments in a controlled setting, which can be used to create a sense of presence and immersion in the feared environment for individuals suffering from anxiety disorders.

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response:     There is strong empirical support for the effectiveness of using VR within exposure therapy for anxiety disorders, and there is research suggesting promise in its use for the treatment of a wide range of other psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, acute and chronic pain, addictions, and eating disorders.

Virtual reality exposure therapy allows for the simulation of exposures that may be costly or impractical to re-create in real life, and enables the therapist to control the “dose” and specific aspects of the exposure environment.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Response:       As we note within this manuscript, we believe that virtual reality technology provides several unique opportunities for conducting clinical researcher. VRE allows the ability to conduct methodologically rigorous and controlled clinical research, with standardized exposure doses across participants.

For instance, we recently conducted an RCT investigating if a reminder of a feared stimulus via virtual reality cue prior to VRE for fear of flying would lead to greater reductions in symptoms compared to a neutral VR cue, based on preclinical studies with reconsolidation paradigms in animal models. VR can also be used to include objective assessment of treatment or experimental outcomes, such as physiological reactivity to a standardized virtual reality cue.

MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community.

My co-author and mentor, Dr. Barbara Rothbaum, owns equity in Virtually Better, Inc which creates virtual reality products. The terms of this arrangement have been reviewed and approved by Emory University in accordance with its conflict of interest policies.

Citation:

Maples‐Keller, Jessica L., Matthew Price, Tanja Jovanovic, Seth D. Norrholm, Lydia Odenat, Loren Post, Liza Zwiebach et al. “Targeting memory reconsolidation to prevent the return of fear in patients with fear of flying.” Depression and Anxiety (2017)

Maples-Keller, J.L., Bunnell, B., Kim, S.J., & Rothbaum, B.O. The use of Virtual Reality technology in the treatment of anxiety and other psychiatric disorders (in press).  Special issue on “Emerging technology and telehealth in psychiatric care,” for Harvard Review of Psychiatry.

Note: Content is Not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care provider regarding your specific medical condition and questions.

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Last Updated on May 11, 2017 by Marie Benz MD FAAD