Evaluating Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Adults with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder A Treatment Study Using VR in Outpatient Settings

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of virtual reality exposure therapy VRET for treating obsessive-compulsive disorder OCD in outpatient psychiatry or clinical psychology settings. It uses a within-subject design where patients first undergo a waiting period before receiving treatment. The study focuses on patients diagnosed with OCD and assesses how well VRET works compared to a baseline waiting period. Participants start with informed consent and baseline questionnaires, followed by a five-week waitlist period without changing existing treatments. Afterward, they receive five weekly sessions of exposure therapy using virtual reality, involving immersive VR glasses and a virtual OCD house environment. The therapy targets common OCD triggers, including contamination, checking, ordering, and hoarding, with difficulty levels adjusted individually by therapists. Throughout the study, researchers monitor symptoms and treatment effects using several assessments, including the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories, and anxiety inventories before and after treatments and at 3-month follow-up. Therapy sessions are tracked for adherence and distress levels, with safety monitored via questionnaires after VR sessions. The total participation spans about ten weeks, covering waiting and treatment periods.

Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Outpatients Trial