Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Jimenez Díaz Foundation, Madrid, Spain.
Department of Statistics, Universidad Carlos III, Getafe, Madrid, Spain.
Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2020 Apr;23(4):246-252. doi: 10.1089/cyber.2019.0497. Epub 2020 Mar 24.
E-health is opening new prospects in the management of mental disorders. Virtual reality (VR)-based interventions, which provide a safe nonjudging environment, may improve symptoms awareness in patients with depressive disorders. This study aimed to explore the feasibility of a novel VR software, the VRight, in depressive patients. Adult outpatients with depressive disorders presenting to our mental health clinic during December 2018 were invited to participate in the study. Participants completed a satisfaction survey at the end of the session, including questions about user-friendliness and about usefulness of the software. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was administered to participants before and after the VR-based intervention to assess depressive symptoms severity. We explored the correlation between the score difference and the variables: age, gender, and initial score. Twenty-eight patients (71.4 percent women, mean age: 51.18 ± 16.13 years) were recruited. Thirteen subjects had major depressive disorder (46.4 percent). Most of the patients ( = 26) were satisfied with the VR experience, which they found to be helpful. PHQ-9 score difference and the initial score correlated positively at a significant level. There was no significant correlation between score difference and age or gender. VRight was well accepted among depressive patients, showing high levels of satisfaction. The VRight could contribute to increase depressive symptoms awareness, which is of clinical relevance given the association of greater insight with positive outcomes in depression. Further studies are needed to confirm the effectiveness of VRight as a psychoeducational tool in clinical practice.
电子健康在精神障碍管理方面开辟了新的前景。基于虚拟现实(VR)的干预措施为患者提供了一个安全、无评判的环境,可能会改善抑郁障碍患者的症状意识。本研究旨在探索一种新型 VR 软件 VRIGHT 在抑郁患者中的应用可行性。
2018 年 12 月,我们邀请在精神科门诊就诊的成年抑郁障碍患者参加研究。参与者在疗程结束时完成了一项满意度调查,其中包括有关用户友好性和软件有用性的问题。在 VR 干预前后,我们使用患者健康问卷-9(PHQ-9)评估患者的抑郁症状严重程度。我们探讨了评分差异与年龄、性别和初始评分之间的相关性。
共招募了 28 名患者(71.4%为女性,平均年龄:51.18 ± 16.13 岁)。13 名患者患有重度抑郁症(46.4%)。大多数患者(26 名)对 VR 体验感到满意,认为该体验有帮助。PHQ-9 评分差异与初始评分呈正相关,具有统计学意义。评分差异与年龄或性别无显著相关性。
VRIGHT 在抑郁患者中得到了很好的接受,满意度很高。VRIGHT 可能有助于提高抑郁症状的意识,鉴于对抑郁症的认识程度与积极治疗结果之间存在关联,这具有临床意义。还需要进一步的研究来确认 VRIGHT 在临床实践中作为一种心理教育工具的有效性。