How therapy reduces paranoia in patients

People with psychotic disorder may soon find relief through virtual realitybased therapy combined with standard treatment which will help reduce paranoia and anxiety in them.

Scientists, who reported this, said in clinical trials involving 116 patients in the Netherlands, virtual reality exercises led to less fraught social interactions, a team wrote in the Lancet Psychiatry.

Their report stated that up to 90 percent of people with psychosis suffer from paranoid thoughts, leading them to perceive threats where there are none.

“As a result, many psychotics avoid public places and contact with people, spending a lot of time alone.”

It was stated that the so-called cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) in which therapists help patients break down seemingly overwhelming problems to render them less threatening, helps reduce anxiety, but does little to quell paranoia.

Researchers led by Roos Pot-Kolder of VU University in the Netherlands extended this method into a virtual environment.

“For the trial, the 116 participants all receiving standard treatment, including antipsychotic medication and regular psychiatric consultations, were divided into two groups of 58.

Only one group practiced social interactions in a virtual environment. Therapists could alter the number of avatars, their appearance, and whether pre-recorded responses to the patient were neutral or hostile.

The therapists also coached participants, helping them to explore and challenge their own feelings in different situations, and to resist common “safety behaviours” such as avoiding eye contact.

Pot-Kolder said, the addition of virtual reality CBT to standard treatment reduced paranoid feelings, anxiety, and use of safety behaviours in social situations, compared with standard treatment alone.

The virtual reality CBT group which showed no adverse effects went on to use fewer “safety behaviours”.

Kristiina Kompus of Bergen University said, the development of virtual reality and mobile technology, the range of tools available in psychotherapy is expanding.