Virtual Reality Avatar Therapy for People Hearing Voices

Schizophrenia Clinical Trial

Official title:

Virtual Reality Avatar Therapy for People Hearing Voices

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT04099940
• Other study ID #: VRAT- ATP
• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: July 1, 2021
• Est. completion date: December 31, 2025

Study information

• Verified date: September 2023
• Source: Psychiatric University Hospital, Zurich
• Contact: Stephan T. Egger, MD
• Phone: +41523049340
• Email: stephan.egger[@]puk.zh.ch
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

Hearing voices is probably the worst form of acoustic hallucinations; which can be experienced as severely disturbing and is influenced by diverse factors including the ability of the individual to influence and control the hallucinatory experience itself. In recent years virtual reality has become a treatment option. In the so-called AVATAR Therapy, patients with schizophrenia and acoustic hallucinations design a visual and auditory recreation (avatar) of the entity to which they attribute their hallucinations. Working with a therapist over the course of several sessions, participants change the avatar from controlling to benevolent. Avatar Therapy involves similar processes to learning and cognitive restructuring, comparable to other psychotherapeutic interventions. The investigators plan to conduct an interventional study using a cross-over design, to compare the feasibility and efficacy of virtual reality avatar therapy for patients with acoustic hallucinations (independent of psychiatric diagnosis) with a cognitive behavioural group therapy aimed to improve social competence.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Recruiting
• Enrollment: 100
• Est. completion date: December 31, 2025
• Est. primary completion date: May 30, 2025
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years to 65 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Consistent acoustic hallucinations, with the presence of voices for at least two months.
• Participants are competent to give informed consent, as determined by the referring physician or psychiatrist.
• German language proficiency as a native speaker or level B1 Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Current neurological disorder.
• Current substance use or withdrawal.
• Concomitant group psychotherapeutic intervention.

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Hearing Voices When No One is Talking (Symptom)
• Mood Disorders
• Psychosis
• Psychotic Disorders
• Schizo Affective Disorder
• Schizophrenia

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Virtual Reality Avatar Therapy (VRAT)
The Virtual Reality Avatar Therapy (VRAT) is a Cognitive Behavioral Intervention, delivered through Virtual Reality.
• Assertiveness Training Program (ATP)
The Assertiveness Training Program (ATP) is a Cognitive Behavioral Intervention, delivered as group therapy.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Switzerland	Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik Zürich	Zürich

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Psychiatric University Hospital, Zurich

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Switzerland, 

References & Publications (1)

Craig TK, Rus-Calafell M, Ward T, Leff JP, Huckvale M, Howarth E, Emsley R, Garety PA. AVATAR therapy for auditory verbal hallucinations in people with psychosis: a single-blind, randomised controlled trial. Lancet Psychiatry. 2018 Jan;5(1):31-40. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(17)30427-3. Epub 2017 Nov 23. Erratum In: Lancet Psychiatry. 2017 Nov 29;: — View Citation

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Psychopathological Assessment	Symptom Questionnaire	Change: Baseline, 3, 6 weeks, 6 and 12 months]
Secondary	Psychotic Symptoms	Symptom Questionnaire	Change: Baseline, 3, 6 weeks, 6 and 12 months]
Secondary	Insecurity- Self-confidence	Symptom Questionnaire	Change: Baseline, 3, 6 weeks, 6 and 12 months]