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VR Based Therapy to Treat Anxiety in Dual Diagnosis

NCT06315660 · Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 30

Last updated 2024-03-18

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Dual diagnosis refers to patients with both severe mental illness and substance abuse. Dual diagnosis is therefore a challenging condition to treat, and the group typically represents the most vulnerable individuals in society. Historically, research on dual diagnosis has been underprioritized, and thus, we still do not know enough about how to best assist this vulnerable group.

However, new studies indicate that virtual reality programs can reduce anxiety in patients with psychotic disorders. They achieve this by providing access to a virtual therapist and lifelike environments where patients can challenge their thoughts about the dangers of navigating the world. For both psychotic disorders and substance abuse, we know that anxiety often plays a role in the clinical picture. Therefore, anxiety almost always has an impact on dual diagnosis patients, where it is crucial in maintaining substance abuse and functional impairment. Despite this, anxiety is rarely a focus in existing treatment options, as it is too resource-intensive in addition to an already intensive treatment process.

This study investigates whether the resource barrier can be overcome and whether hospitalized dual diagnosis patients can experience reduced anxiety, fewer relapses, and better outcomes after discharge when their anxiety is treated through partially automated virtual reality therapy.

Conditions

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Cognitive Miljeu Therapy

TAU is an integrated voluntary inpatient treatment based on the principles of CBT, lasting between 12-20 weeks. This treatment includes exercise, close medical monitoring, group-based CBT for SUD, planning with social services, and is called Cognitive Milieu Therapy.

BEHAVIORAL

Virtual Reality based CBT for Anxiety

The experimental intervention is a manualized add-on to TAU and comprises eight sessions of 60 minutes over a period of four weeks. Of these eight sessions, six will include 30 minutes of VR-based behavioral experiments targeting agoraphobic and social fear.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Mental Health Centre Sct. Hans

    lead OTHER_GOV

Principal Investigators

  • Benjamin Arnfred, phd · Mental Health Centre St. Hans

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2024-11-30
Primary Completion
2026-04-30
Completion
2026-04-30

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Entities

Diseases

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT06315660 on ClinicalTrials.gov