Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence in Treatment for Patients With Psychosis

Summary

Virtual Reality (VR) has gained momentum in the treatment of various mental health conditions. Despite its potential and emphasis on better use of technology in healthcare strategies, VR therapy for severe mental illness remains underdeveloped and understudied. This will be the first randomized controlled trial to combine cognitive behavioral therapy-based VR with state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence. Reduced quality of life, social withdrawal and inactivity found in psychotic disorders may be largely explained by avoidance due to severe symptoms of anxiety, present in as many as two-thirds of patients with schizophrenia. Alleviating anxiety may thus be key to help improve functional outcomes. The aim of this study is to provide novel information about VR therapy in psychosis employing the newly developed RecoVRy application. Study objectives are to examine short- and long-term effects on real-world functioning, psychiatric symptoms, and quality of life. A total of 150 participants will be recruited from five Norwegian hospitals. Participants will be randomly assigned to either receive the RecoVRy intervention (N=75) alongside treatment as usual or a control intervention (N=75) in which they engage with three distinct VR games. RecoVRy will generate new and important knowledge to improve mental health services in psychosis and hopefully improve existing practise and facilitate personalized treatment. RecoVRy will fill knowledge gaps concerning anxiety in psychosis, as this is often left untreated and consequently create societal benefits by increasing social and functional participation. Finally, knowledge from RecoVRy can easily be generalized to other patient groups and health sectors.

Conditions

• Psychosis

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

RecoVRy

A mental health professional (VR therapist) will be together with the patient when VR treatment is provided. The VR therapist will help put on the VR headset, start the program and encourage the patient to apply the learning from RecoVRy to real-world challenges by setting up homework tasks to be carried out between VR sessions. The application will run through Meta Quest 2/3®. RecoVRy is designed as a repeated behavioural procedure in which the main focus is for participants to learn that they are safer than assumed. Participants can proceed at their own pace, allowing for more or less than 8 (+/- 2) sessions of VR treatment. Scenarios and levels may be repeated if necessary

BEHAVIORAL

VR Games

Patients randomized to this condition will receive a total of ten sessions of VR games.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Oslo University Hospital

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Jan Ivar Røssberg, PhD · Universitetet i Oslo/Oslo universitetssykehus

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

17 Years

Max Age

65 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-12-06

Primary Completion

2027-12-31

Completion

2028-07-31

Countries

• Norway

Study Locations