scholarly journals Virtual Reality as e-Mental Health to Support Starting with Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy

2018 ◽  
pp. 241-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koen H. B. Damen ◽  
Erik D. van der Spek
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Cognitive Therapy

scholarly journals Virtual Reality Cognitive Therapy in Inpatient Psychiatric Wards: Protocol for a Qualitative Investigation of Staff and Patient Views Across Multiple National Health Service Sites

10.2196/20300 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. e20300
Author(s):  
Poppy Brown ◽  
Felicity Waite ◽  
Sinéad Lambe ◽  
Laina Rosebrock ◽  
Daniel Freeman
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
National Health Service ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Cognitive Therapy ◽  
National Health ◽  
Psychiatric Hospitals ◽  
Implementation Framework

Background Patients in psychiatric wards typically have very limited access to individual psychological therapy. Inpatients often have significant time available, and an important transition back to everyday life to prepare for—but historically, there have been few trained therapists available on wards for the delivery of evidence-based therapy. Automated virtual reality (VR) therapy may be one route to increase the provision of powerful psychological treatments in psychiatric hospitals. The gameChange automated VR cognitive therapy is targeted at helping patients overcome anxious avoidance and re-engage in everyday situations (such as walking down the street, taking a bus, or going to a shop). This treatment target may fit well for many patients preparing for discharge. However, little is known about how VR therapy may be viewed in this setting. Objective The objectives of the study are to explore psychiatric hospital staff and patients’ initial expectations of VR therapy, to gather patient and staff views of an automated VR cognitive therapy (gameChange) after briefly experiencing it, and to identify potential differences across National Health Service (NHS) mental health trusts for implementation. Guided by an implementation framework, the knowledge gained from this study will be used to assess the feasibility of VR treatment adoption into psychiatric hospitals. Methods Focus groups will be conducted with NHS staff and patients in acute psychiatric wards at 5 NHS mental health trusts across England. Staff and patients will be interviewed in separate groups. Individual interviews will also be conducted when preferred by a participant. Within each of the 5 trusts, 1 to 2 wards will be visited. A total of 8-15 staff and patients per ward will be recruited, with a minimum total of 50 staff and patients recruited across all sites. Focus group questions have been derived from the nonadoption, abandonment, and challenges to the scale-up, spread, and sustainability (NASSS) framework. Focus groups will discuss expectations of VR therapy before participants are given the opportunity to briefly try the gameChange VR therapy. Questions will then focus on opinions about the therapy and investigate feasibility of adoption, with particular consideration given to site specific issues. A thematic analysis will be conducted. Results As of May 15, 2020, 1 patient focus group has been conducted. Conclusions The study will provide unique insight from patients and staff into the potential for implementing automated VR therapy in psychiatric wards. Perspectives will be captured both on the use of immersive technology hardware and therapy-specific issues in such settings. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/20300

A qualitative investigation using peer research methods of automated virtual reality cognitive therapy for people with psychosis: study protocol. (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Bond ◽  
Dan J Robotham ◽  
Alexandra Kenny ◽  
Vanessa Pinfold ◽  
Thomas Kabir ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Cognitive Therapy ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Advisory Panel ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Social Avoidance ◽  
Social Situations ◽  
Trial Participants

BACKGROUND Many people with psychosis struggle in everyday social situations. Anxiety can make life challenging, leading to withdrawal. Cognitive therapy, using active in-vivo learning, enables people to overcome fears. Yet these treatments are not readily available to people with psychosis. Automated virtual reality (VR) therapy may be one route to increase accessibility. The gameChange automated VR cognitive therapy is designed to help people overcome anxious avoidance and build confidence in everyday social situations (such as visiting a café or taking a bus). A virtual coach guides the person through the treatment. Understanding user experience will be key to facilitating future implementation. Peer-research methods, where people with lived experience of issues being studied are involved in collecting and analysing the data, may be useful in developing this understanding. This approach encourages researchers to draw on their lived experience to explore participant perspectives and co-create knowledge. OBJECTIVE The primary objective of this study is to use a peer-research approach to explore the participant experience of a novel automated VR therapy for anxious social avoidance. This includes understanding 1) the experience of anxious social avoidance in people with psychosis, 2) the experience of the gameChange automated VR cognitive therapy, and 3) any potential impact of the therapy in peoples’ lives. This will inform future implementation strategies. The secondary objective is to explore how peer research can be used to co-create knowledge. METHODS Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with approximately 25 people with psychosis who are participating in the gameChange trial (ISRCTN17308399). Participants will be recruited from the five trial centres based in NHS mental health Trusts across England. Interviews will be conducted by two researchers. One is a peer-researcher with similar lived experience of mental health to the trial participants. The other has lived experience of mental health issues that do not directly overlap with those of the trial participants. Interview questions will focus on an individual’s experience of anxious social avoidance, the experience of participating in the gameChange VR therapy, and any changes or impact following the therapy. The interview schedule was developed in collaboration with the gameChange Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP); a group of ten project advisors with lived experience of psychosis. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis and Template Analysis will be used to explore individual accounts as well as convergence and divergence across the sample. The LEAP will contribute to the analysis. RESULTS Data collection will be conducted April - August 2021, analysis conducted June – October 2021. CONCLUSIONS The study, employing a peer-research approach, may provide a unique insight into experiences of anxious social avoidance in people with psychosis and its treatment using automated VR therapy. This will inform potential future implementation of VR automated therapies in mental health services.

scholarly journals Virtual Reality Cognitive Therapy in Inpatient Psychiatric Wards: Protocol for a Qualitative Investigation of Staff and Patient Views Across Multiple National Health Service Sites (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Poppy Brown ◽  
Felicity Waite ◽  
Sinéad Lambe ◽  
Laina Rosebrock ◽  
Daniel Freeman
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
National Health Service ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Cognitive Therapy ◽  
National Health ◽  
Psychiatric Hospitals ◽  
Implementation Framework

BACKGROUND Patients in psychiatric wards typically have very limited access to individual psychological therapy. Inpatients often have significant time available, and an important transition back to everyday life to prepare for—but historically, there have been few trained therapists available on wards for the delivery of evidence-based therapy. Automated virtual reality (VR) therapy may be one route to increase the provision of powerful psychological treatments in psychiatric hospitals. The gameChange automated VR cognitive therapy is targeted at helping patients overcome anxious avoidance and re-engage in everyday situations (such as walking down the street, taking a bus, or going to a shop). This treatment target may fit well for many patients preparing for discharge. However, little is known about how VR therapy may be viewed in this setting. OBJECTIVE The objectives of the study are to explore psychiatric hospital staff and patients’ initial expectations of VR therapy, to gather patient and staff views of an automated VR cognitive therapy (gameChange) after briefly experiencing it, and to identify potential differences across National Health Service (NHS) mental health trusts for implementation. Guided by an implementation framework, the knowledge gained from this study will be used to assess the feasibility of VR treatment adoption into psychiatric hospitals. METHODS Focus groups will be conducted with NHS staff and patients in acute psychiatric wards at 5 NHS mental health trusts across England. Staff and patients will be interviewed in separate groups. Individual interviews will also be conducted when preferred by a participant. Within each of the 5 trusts, 1 to 2 wards will be visited. A total of 8-15 staff and patients per ward will be recruited, with a minimum total of 50 staff and patients recruited across all sites. Focus group questions have been derived from the nonadoption, abandonment, and challenges to the scale-up, spread, and sustainability (NASSS) framework. Focus groups will discuss expectations of VR therapy before participants are given the opportunity to briefly try the gameChange VR therapy. Questions will then focus on opinions about the therapy and investigate feasibility of adoption, with particular consideration given to site specific issues. A thematic analysis will be conducted. RESULTS As of May 15, 2020, 1 patient focus group has been conducted. CONCLUSIONS The study will provide unique insight from patients and staff into the potential for implementing automated VR therapy in psychiatric wards. Perspectives will be captured both on the use of immersive technology hardware and therapy-specific issues in such settings. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT DERR1-10.2196/20300

Virtual reality and telemedicine based experiential cognitive therapy for the treatment of eating disorders

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Riva ◽  
M. Bacchetta ◽  
G. L. Cesa ◽  
S. Conti ◽  
E. Molinari
Keyword(s):  
Eating Disorders ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Cognitive Therapy

Psychotherapeutic components of commercially available virtual reality games (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Almira Osmanovic Thunström ◽  
Iris Sarajlic Vuković ◽  
Lilas Ali ◽  
Tomas Larson ◽  
Steinn Steingrimsson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Treatment Method ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
E Learning ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Unique Games

BACKGROUND Immersive virtual reality (VR) games are increasingly becoming part of everyday life. Several studies support immersive VR technology as a treatment method for mental health problems. There is however minimal research into the feasibility, prevalence, and quality of commercially available VR games on commercial platforms as tools for treatment or add on to treatment of mental health problems. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence, feasibility and quality of commercially available games related to psychotherapy on a commercially available platform. METHODS We performed a search for keywords related to diagnosis and treatment strategies of mental health problems. The search was performed during March 27th on STEAM (VR content and gaming platform). A usability scale was used as a tool to look at the interaction and usability of the games, the VR-UI-UX-8. The tool contains 8 statements about usability scored 0-10, 0 indicating “Not at all” and 10 indicating “very much so”. The score ranges from 0-80 with a higher score indicating worse usability. RESULTS In total, 516 hits were found, 371 unique games. After the games were reviewed, 83 games passed the inclusion criteria, were purchased and played. Majority of the games which were excluded were either not connected to mental health, contained violence, adult content or were in other ways irrelevant or inappropriate. The mean score for the games on the VR-UI-UX-8 was 16.5 (standard deviation 15.8) with a range from 0-68. Most relevant and feasible games were found in the search words meditation, mindfulness, and LSD. CONCLUSIONS Commercial platforms hold great potential for VR games with psychotherapeutic components. The platforms are only at the beginning of the development towards serious games, e-learning and psychotherapeutic treatments. Currently the quality and usability for clinical and at home applicability are scarce, but hold great potential.

Virtual reality in social skills training programs for people with schizophrenia: A systematic review and focus group

2021 ◽  
pp. 030802262110113
Author(s):  
Catarina Oliveira ◽  
Raquel Simões de Almeida ◽  
António Marques
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Social Skills Training ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Training Programme ◽  
Cochrane Library

Introduction This study aims to determine the guidelines for the design of a social skills training programme for people with schizophrenia using virtual reality. Methods This article encompasses two studies: Study 1, a systematic review of five articles indexed in the databases B-on, PubMed, Clinical trials and Cochrane Library (2010–2020); Study 2, a focus group of occupational therapists trained in mental health and multimedia professionals, in which they discussed the outline of such a programme. Results A set of guidelines were identified as central and consensual which should be included in the programme. It must have multilevel logic and gradual learning, with simulations of everyday situations, in which it is possible to practise the skills of conversation and communication. Virtual reality provides people with schizophrenia with unlimited opportunities, enhancing a personalized intervention. Conclusion Social skills training could be part of the treatment for people with schizophrenia, and virtual reality is a promising tool to complement traditional training, although still little implemented in mental health services. Occupational therapists have a prominent role in the development and application of this because of their knowledge of activity analysis and their ability to facilitate the generalization of skills in different contexts.

scholarly journals Freely Available Virtual Reality Experiences as Tools to Support Mental Health Therapy: a Systematic Scoping Review and Consensus Based Interdisciplinary Analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Best ◽  
Matilde Meireles ◽  
Franziska Schroeder ◽  
Lorna Montgomery ◽  
Alan Maddock ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Behavioural Therapy ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Health Practitioner ◽  
Case Formulation ◽  
Therapeutic Value

AbstractThe primary purpose of this article is to review the potential therapeutic value of freely available VR content as an addition to the practitioners ‘toolkit’. Research has shown that virtual reality (VR) may be useful to extend existing guided imagery-based practices found in traditional mental health therapy. However, the use of VR technology within routine mental health practice remains low, despite recent reductions in equipment costs. A systematic scoping review and interdisciplinary analysis of freely available VR experiences was performed across two popular online databases (SteamVR and Oculus.com). A total of 1785 experiences were retrieved and screened for relevance with 46 meeting the inclusion criteria. VR content was then reviewed for potential therapeutic value by an interdisciplinary panel with experience across a number of therapeutic interventions including cognitive behavioural therapy, Rogerian counselling, mindfulness-based therapies. and family therapy. Eleven (22%) of the 50 freely available VR experiences were reported to have therapeutic potential as tools to support routine mental health therapy. These included support with the following mental health issues—low mood, social anxiety, stress reduction and fear of heights. Guidance of a qualified mental health practitioner was recommended in all cases to maximise the benefit of the VR experiences retrieved. While the quality is variable, freely available VR experiences may contain valuable content that could support mental health therapy. This includes as a homework activity or as an initial setting for case formulation and behavioural experiments.

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