[Use of virtual reality in eating disorders]

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Psychology
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Virtual reality (VR) is an emerging technology enabling immersive, multi-sensory interaction with simulated environments.
• Its application in psychiatry is expanding, particularly for anxiety disorders, addictions, and increasingly, eating disorders.
• VR offers unique advantages like personalized, secure, and controllable therapeutic settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the current and potential applications of virtual reality in the understanding, evaluation, and therapeutic management of eating disorders.
• To review recent studies on VR interventions for anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder.
• To assess the efficacy, limitations, and future prospects of VR as a therapeutic tool for eating disorders, especially in adolescents.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing avatars in VR for assessing and treating body image distortion and dissatisfaction in anorexia nervosa.
• Implementing VR cue exposure therapy (CET) to manage anxiety and craving associated with food cues in bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder.
• Employing body swapping protocols based on multisensory illusions to reduce body image disorder.

Main Results:

• Avatars in VR facilitate a comprehensive assessment of body image components in anorexia nervosa.
• VR CET has demonstrated significant reductions in anxiety, craving, and binge eating episodes.
• Body swapping protocols show promising results in mitigating body image disorders.
• Studies indicate VR can better characterize binge eating triggers through exposure to food-related stimuli.

Conclusions:

• Virtual reality presents a promising therapeutic tool for eating disorders, enhancing understanding, assessment, and treatment.
• VR interventions, particularly CET and avatar-based therapy, yield positive outcomes in reducing core symptoms.
• While challenges like cybersickness exist, VR's high patient acceptance, especially among adolescents, suggests potential for improved treatment adherence and outcomes.
• Further research is needed to validate VR's long-term efficacy and address its limitations.