Psychological therapy using virtual reality has been found effective for people with agoraphobia and those who are housebound, British researchers have reported.
Therapy provided by a virtual coach using a ‘gameChange VR program’ was assessed in a clinical trial run by researchers at the University of Oxford, UK, and Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust.
The trial, funded by the National Institute for Health Research, involved patients with mental health disorders including psychosis.
GameChange is designed to treat agoraphobia and help patients re-engage with day-to-day activities, say the creators. It supports patients to move them from a housebound existence to ‘life back in the world outside’.
Senior Investigator, Professor Daniel Freeman, explained: "Virtual reality psychological therapy has come of age with gameChange. Over the past 25 years VR has been used in a small number of specialist mental health care clinics.
"It has supported in-person therapy delivered by a clinician. However, with gameChange, the therapy is built in, so it can be overseen by a range of staff. And it can be delivered in a variety of settings, including patients’ homes."
He added that gameChange "has produced excellent results for people with some of the most challenging mental health problems".
Virtual reality equipment is now affordable and easy to use, so this approach "will lead to a transformation in the digital provision of evidence-based psychological therapy", he believes.
Details were published in *The Lancet*.
Freeman, D. et al. Automated virtual reality therapy to treat agoraphobic avoidance and distress in patients with psychosis (gameChange): a multicentre, parallel-group, single-blind, randomised, controlled trial in England with mediation and moderation analyses. *Lancet* 5 April 2022
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