Key result
The INTREPID project proposes combining virtual reality and biofeedback to treat generalized anxiety disorder, with the goal of improving relaxation technique learning, but reports no clinical data.
Why the study?
Does the combination of virtual reality and biofeedback improve the learning of relaxation techniques and reduce anxiety-related symptoms in patients with generalized anxiety disorder?
Does the combination of virtual reality and biofeedback improve the learning of relaxation techniques and reduce anxiety-related symptoms in patients with generalized anxiety disorder?
The INTREPID project proposes a novel approach combining virtual reality and biofeedback to enhance relaxation training for patients with generalized anxiety disorder.
Remains untested clinically; leaves open whether VR-biofeedback enhances relaxation learning in GAD.
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a psychiatric disorder characterized by a constant and unspecific anxiety that interferes with daily-life activities. Its high prevalence in general population and the severe limitations it causes, point out the necessity to find new efficient strategies to treat it. Together with the cognitive-behavioral treatments, relaxation represents a useful approach for the treatment of GAD, but it has the limitation that it is hard to be learned. The INTREPID project is aimed to implement a new instrument to treat anxiety-related disorders and to test its clinical efficacy in reducing anxiety-related symptoms. The innovation of this approach is the combination of virtual reality and biofeedback, so that the first one is directly modified by the output of the second one. In this way, the patient is made aware of his or her reactions through the modification of some features of the VR environment in real time. Using mental exercises the patient learns to control these physiological parameters and using the feedback provided by the virtual environment is able to gauge his or her success. The supplemental use of portable devices, such as PDA or smart-phones, allows the patient to perform at home, individually and autonomously, the same exercises experienced in therapist's office. The goal is to anchor the learned protocol in a real life context, so enhancing the patients' ability to deal with their symptoms. The expected result is a better and faster learning of relaxation techniques, and thus an increased effectiveness of the treatment if compared with traditional clinical protocols.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Repetto et al. (2009) studied Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Virtual reality combined with biofeedback vs. Traditional clinical protocols was evaluated on Reduction of anxiety-related symptoms and learning of relaxation techniques. The INTREPID project proposes combining virtual reality and biofeedback to treat generalized anxiety disorder, with the goal of improving relaxation technique learning, but reports no clinical data.
Synapse has enriched 4 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: