Active clinical trials for "Phobic Disorders"

The aim of this study is to test the efficacy and efficiency of the Projection-Based augmented reality therapy under two conditions: multiple stimuli (different types of cockroaches) (P-ARET MS) versus single stimulus (one cockroach) (P-ARET SS) for the treatment of participants diagnosed with cockroach phobia.

The goal of this interventional pilot study is to gain experiences in using the Back 2 School (B2S) program for youth with school attendance problems in Norwegian community school- and health services. The main questions it aims to answer are: • What is the feasibility of the Back 2 School program when implemented in Norwegian community school- and health services? • What are the changes in school attendance rates, measures of psychological difficulties, and school related self-efficacy following the intervention? • How do participants experience the B2S program? 16 youth (6-16 years) with school attendance problems, their caregivers and the school participate in the B2S program provided by an interdisciplinary team during the school term of 2022-2023. Researchers will compare school attendance rates before entrance to the B2S program, at termination of the program and at 3-month follow-up. Also, researchers will compare reports on psychological difficulties, quality of life, and school related-self efficacy at baseline and after the intervention. Researchers investigate participants experiences with the program through qualitative interviews with youths, caregivers, teachers and service providers. The researchers further aim to prepare and establish resources and infrastructure for a large intervention study, and to establish a well-functioning cooperation between researchers, research organizations, and municipalities in different regions.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) delivered exposure therapy for youth with phobias or social anxiety, with and without autism spectrum disorder. The study team is also interested in collecting information to better understand phobias and social anxiety.

Mobile applications are more and more considered when implementing programs for treating mental disorders. The study aims to reduce avoidance and fear of spiders in spider-fearful individuals by combining exposure principles with gamification elements (e.g. narrative background, level progression, points, feedback). We investigate the efficacy of the gamified app in a remote online-therapy context.

The main aim of this study is to validate and test the clinical effectiveness of the projection-based augmented reality system in cockroach phobia exposure therapy through an RCT that includes three conditions: (i) projection-based augmented reality therapy, (ii) usual treatment (in vivo exposure), (iii) waiting list control. In addition, it is intended to analyze the potential of the eye-tracking technology as a tool for evaluating the clinical effectiveness in cockroach phobia treatment.

Self-efficacy (SE) enhancement after virtual reality exposure (VRET) for heights can promote treatment-induced effects (Raeder et al. 2019). Raeder et al (2019) employed an intervention to enhance SE by introducing specific questions about autobiographical events of success and mastery experiences in the course of VRET. Building on these previous findings, the present study aims to examine whether SE-enhancement DURING and/or AFTER a brief VR-based exposure for fear of heights (in the following referred to as VR-height-exposure) is suitable to promote exposure-induced reductions in height-related fear and avoidance. To this end, repeated visual feedback DURING a brief VR-height-exposure will be used to selectively promote SE and mastery experiences. In a similar vein, SE-enhancement AFTER VR-height-exposure will be administered. The effects of these interventions will be assessed on different treatment outcome levels. It will be further examined whether the combined SE enhancement (DURING and AFTER exposure) is more effective that 1.) SE enhancement performed DURING VR-height-exposure only or 2.) SE enhancement performed AFTER VR-height-exposure only. The investigators hypothesize that SE enhancement (either administered DURING or AFTER VR-height-exposure) will be more effective (as indicated by more pronounced reductions in height-related fear and avoidance) than VR-height-exposure alone. It is further expected that the combined SE enhancement DURING and AFTER VR-height-exposure will be more effective compared to SE enhancement DURING VR-height-exposure alone and/or SE enhancement DURING VR-height-exposure alone.

In this patented project, U.S. Patent No. 10,839,707, the investigators will develop an augmented reality exposure therapy method for cynophobia, also known as dog phobia, to test in the clinic. The platform will include a software that allows the clinician (psychiatrist/therapist) to position virtual objects in the real environment of the patient with the above mentioned phobia while the patient is wearing the augmented reality (AR) device. Then the clinician will lead the patient through steps of exposure therapy to the feared object. The investigators will then measure the impact of treatment and compare to before treatment measures of fear of the phobic object. Exposure therapy is the most evidence-based treatment for specific phobias, social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The core principle is patient's exposure to the feared objects/situations guided by a clinician. For example, in cynophobia, patient is exposed to pictures of dogs printed or on a computer screen - or if available, view of a real dog in the office. Gradually, patient tolerates viewing/approaching the dog from a closer distance, and fear response extinguishes. The clinician has a crucial role in signaling safety to the patient, as well as providing support and coaching. This treatment is limited by multiple factors: 1) limited access to feared objects/situations in the clinic, 2) even when feared objects are available, they are not diverse (e.g. different types, sizes, and colors of dogs), which limits generalization of safety learning, 3) when available, clinician has very limited control over behaviors of the feared object, 4) safety learning is limited to the clinic office context, and contextualization of safety learning to real life experiences is left to the patient to do alone, which often does not happen. This is specifically important in conditions such as PTSD, where there is cumulative evidence for impaired contextualization as a key neurobiological underpinning. 5) Lack of geographical access to experts in exposure therapy, especially for PTSD, in rural areas.

The access to MRI examination is limited due to the duration of the acquisitions, the noise and the narrow patient space of the device. A child can, therefore, be anxious, less cooperative and move more during the acquisition, affecting the quality of the examination and the medical diagnosis. General anesthesia or sedation, may be considered to obtain diagnostic quality examinations. Our hypothesis is that a scenario as close as possible to reality to prepare children before the MR exam could reduce their anxiety, improve the quality of the exams and reduce its duration. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of virtual reality on MRI exam preparation to reduce the anxiety of children (aged from 6 to 12 years) who are referred to their first MRI exam, as compared to the current practice.

To examine the effectiveness and clinical care outcomes of cognitive-behavioral therapy interventions at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).

The aim of this study is to test the efficacy and efficiency of varying the phobic stimuli during the augmented reality (AR) exposure therapy using multiple stimuli versus one single stimulus through projection-based AR (P-ARET) for the treatment of participants diagnosed with cockroach phobia.