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Virtual reality in the assessment and treatment of psychosis: a systematic review of its utility, acceptability and effectiveness

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 July 2017

M. Rus-Calafell ,
P. Garety ,
E. Sason ,
T. J. K. Craig  and
L. R. Valmaggia
M. Rus-Calafell
Affiliation:
King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, London, UK
P. Garety
Affiliation:
King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, London, UK
E. Sason
Affiliation:
King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK
T. J. K. Craig
Affiliation:
King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, London, UK
L. R. Valmaggia*
Affiliation:
King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, London, UK
*
*Address for correspondence: Dr L. R. Valmaggia, Department of Psychology, King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, PO 77, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK. (Email: [email protected])
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Abstract

Over the last two decades, there has been a rapid increase of studies testing the efficacy and acceptability of virtual reality in the assessment and treatment of mental health problems. This systematic review was carried out to investigate the use of virtual reality in the assessment and the treatment of psychosis. Web of Science, PsychInfo, EMBASE, Scopus, ProQuest and PubMed databases were searched, resulting in the identification of 638 articles potentially eligible for inclusion; of these, 50 studies were included in the review. The main fields of research in virtual reality and psychosis are: safety and acceptability of the technology; neurocognitive evaluation; functional capacity and performance evaluation; assessment of paranoid ideation and auditory hallucinations; and interventions. The studies reviewed indicate that virtual reality offers a valuable method of assessing the presence of symptoms in ecologically valid environments, with the potential to facilitate learning new emotional and behavioural responses. Virtual reality is a promising method to be used in the assessment of neurocognitive deficits and the study of relevant clinical symptoms. Furthermore, preliminary findings suggest that it can be applied to the delivery of cognitive rehabilitation, social skills training interventions and virtual reality-assisted therapies for psychosis. The potential benefits for enhancing treatment are highlighted. Recommendations for future research include demonstrating generalisability to real-life settings, examining potential negative effects, larger sample sizes and long-term follow-up studies. The present review has been registered in the PROSPERO register: CDR 4201507776.

Keywords

Hallucinationsneuropsychologyparanoiapsychosisschizophreniasocial functioningsystematic reviewvirtual reality
Type
Review Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 48 , Issue 3 , February 2018 , pp. 362 - 391
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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