Extended reality may enhance expectation or placebo effects of behavioral activation<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter<\/b><\/p>\n
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MONDAY, May 13, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Extended reality-enhanced behavioral activation (XR-BA) may be a feasible, noninferior, and acceptable enhancement to traditional BA for major depressive disorder (MDD), according to a study published online April 15 in\u00a0JMIR Mental Health.<\/em><\/p>\n Margot Paul, Psy.D.,\u00a0from the Stanford University School of Medicine in California, and colleagues examined whether XR-BA was feasible and efficacious in treating MDD in an ambulatory telemedicine clinic. The analysis included 26 participants with MDD who were randomly assigned to XR-BA (brief three-week, four-session evidence-based psychotherapy intervention) or traditional BA.<\/p>\n The researchers found no adverse events were reported in either group, and there were no substantial differences in dropout rates or homework completion. Compared with traditional BA, XR-BA was statistically noninferior. Both groups showed a statistically significant decrease in the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and clinical severity from the beginning of session 1 to the beginning of session 4. Between the phone intake and the beginning of session 1, there was a significant decrease observed in PHQ-8 to PHQ-9 scores for the XR-BA group but not the traditional BA group.<\/p>\n “These results indicate that XR may help to destigmatize mental health care and reduce barriers to individuals seeking care,” Paul said in a statement. “Clinicians could use XR as a treatment tool to help motivate clients to actively participate in their psychotherapy treatment by completing ‘homework’ that is novel, fun, and accessible.”<\/p>\n