Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Acrophobia

National Institute of Mental Health, Czech Republic

Status: Completed

Conditions: Fear of Heights; Specific Phobia; Acrophobia; Anxiety Disorders

Treatments: Other: Information Session; Behavioral: Exposure Therapy (Virtual Reality)

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04975854

TL03000223-01

Details and patient eligibility

About

The aim of this study is to examine the efficacy of virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) as a treatment for specific phobia (acrophobia). The study will randomly assign 42 participants with acrophobia to one of two conditions: a) the experimental condition (consisting of 3 sessions of virtual reality exposure) or b) a control condition. Both groups will receive short information session about general principles of exposure therapy before the start of the study. After the end of the study, the waitlist group will be invited to attend the short version (one or two-sessions) of the VRET. Both groups will receive a final follow-up questionnaires 2 months after the last session.

Enrollment: 43 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 64 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• individual meeting ICD-10 criteria for diagnosis of specific phobia
• fluent in Czech

Exclusion criteria

• currently receiving psychological treatment for acrophobia
• psychotropic medication (unless on stable dosage for the previous 1 month and stabilized for the duration of the study)
• another severe mental disorder, such as bipolar disorder or psychotic disorder
• contradictions to using a virtual reality (e.g., epilepsy, balance problems)

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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43 participants in 2 patient groups

Virtual Reality Exposure

Experimental group

Description:

Participants complete three 30-40-minute sessions of exposure administered via a virtual reality headset. The exposure involve exposure to various heights and height cues in the virtual city environment. Experimental group also attends 20-minute online information session (prerecorded video).

Treatment:

Other: Information Session

Behavioral: Exposure Therapy (Virtual Reality)

Control

Other group

Description:

Control group attends a single 20-minute information session (prerecorded video) about general principles of exposure therapy and anxiety before the start of the study, but receives no exposure-based intervention.

Treatment:

Other: Information Session