Virtual Reality Therapy for Voice Hearing (VR-VOICES): a Randomized Controlled Trial
Trial Parameters
Brief Summary
Rationale: Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) - hearing voices that others cannot hear - are common in mental illnesses. For many people AVH are distressing, disabling and persistent, despite medication. Current psychological interventions show low to medium effects. Preliminary studies suggest that an innovative empowering psychological therapy using computer simulations representing the AVH (avatars) can be effective for reducing AVH distress and frequency. Virtual reality (VR) has the potential to improve this treatment. Therefore, we developed a novel VR treatment for this problem. In this study, the effect of this treatment will be investigated. Objective: To test the effect of a novel VR treatment for AVH (VR-VOICES) on distress and frequency of AVH in patients with a psychiatric disorder. Furthermore, to investigate the effect of VR-VOICES on clinical symptoms, quality of life, and healthcare costs of the treatment.
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Having a DSM-5 diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder * Distressing AVH for minimally 3 months. * Age 16 years or older Exclusion Criteria: * Insufficient command of the Dutch language * Unable to provide informed consent * Primary diagnosis of a substance use disorder, or organic brain disease (such as dementia) * A degree of substance abuse that hinders treatment adherence * Auditory verbal hallucinations in a language not spoken by therapists * Patients cannot receive CBT specifically focused at gaining empowerment over voices during the study period or 6 months prior to enrolment.