Virtual Reality System to Increase Access to Exposure Therapy for Anxiety and OCD

Mayo Clinic

Status: Completed

Conditions: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; Anxiety

Treatments: Other: Virtual Reality

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02713516

15-008235

Details and patient eligibility

About

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with fear provoking exposures is the most effective therapy for anxiety disorders. Investigators aim to enhance this therapy with the use of virtual reality exposures and to make therapy more available and accessible for patients with anxiety disorders. The societal benefit of increased access to therapy is that, if successful, it will increase the number of patients who receive appropriate treatment for an anxiety disorder.

Full description

Twenty children with CADs or OCD who have received less than 3 treatment sessions and a parent will be recruited to pilot the VR system. Participants will be identified through the Mayo Clinic Pediatric Anxiety Disorders Clinic. Each patient will participate in a single (up to) 2-hour visit. During the first 30 minutes the patient and parent will be introduced to the VR system and the rationale for this feasibility study. Next, a therapist will lead the patient through exposure exercises using the VR system for up to 30 minutes. During the next period, up to 30 minutes, the therapist will go to a different room and the patient, with support from their parent, will complete exposure exercises using the VR system that the therapist directed them to complete. During the exposures the interviewer will observe, code and record the patient's interaction with the VR system. For the remaining time (up to 30 minutes) the interviewer will interview the patient about his or her experience with the VR system and then will ask for observations and opinions from the parent.

Enrollment: 40 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 7 to 12 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. Age 7 to 12
2. Primary diagnosis of anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, separation anxiety and/or OCD

Exclusion criteria

1. History of and/or current diagnosis of: psychosis, autism, bipolar disorder, mental retardation, oppositional defiant disorder, PTSD, selective mutism or major depressive disorder.
2. Current suicidality or recent suicidal behavior
3. Parent to be involved in study who is unable to adequately participate due to intellectual or psychiatric difficulties
4. Starting or changing the dosage of a psychiatric medication in the last 2 months

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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40 participants in 1 patient group

Single Arm

Experimental group

Description:

The children in this study will have a single visit. During this visit the child and their parent will be introduced to the virtual reality (VR) system. The child will interact with the VR system and after they have finished, they will be asked questions about their experience with the VR system.

Treatment:

Other: Virtual Reality