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Updated: Jun 23, 2025
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The use of Biofeedback in Clinical Virtual Reality: The INTREPID Project
Published on: November 12, 2009
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Effect of virtual reality-based biofeedback for depressive and anxiety symptoms: Randomized controlled study
Yaehee Cho1, Hyewon Kim2, Sisu Seong3
1Department of Psychiatry, Depression Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea; Meditrix Co., Ltd., South Korea.
Journal of Affective Disorders
|June 17, 2024
Summary
Virtual reality (VR) biofeedback effectively reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety. This non-pharmacological approach showed significant improvements in both diagnosed groups and healthy controls.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry and Mental Health
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Behavioral Medicine
Background:
- Virtual Reality (VR) biofeedback (BF) offers a novel non-pharmacological treatment for depressive and anxiety symptoms.
- Existing research on VR-based BF is limited and yields inconclusive results.
- This study investigates the efficacy of VR-based BF for these conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of VR-based biofeedback in reducing depressive and anxiety symptoms.
- To compare VR-based biofeedback with conventional biofeedback.
- To assess the impact of VR-based biofeedback on individuals with and without diagnosed depressive or anxiety symptoms.
Main Methods:
- 131 adults were recruited, with participants diagnosed with depressive or anxiety symptoms (DAS group) or healthy controls (HC group).
- DAS group participants were randomized to VR-based or conventional BF.
- Standardized scales (MADRS, PHQ-9, STAI, VAS) were used to measure outcomes at baseline and after 4 weeks.
Main Results:
- The VR-based BF group showed significant reductions in depression (MADRS, PHQ-9) and anxiety (STAI, VAS) scores compared to baseline.
- No significant difference was found between VR-based BF and conventional BF.
- Healthy controls also experienced significant reductions in depression and anxiety measures after VR-based BF.
Conclusions:
- VR-based biofeedback is an effective intervention for reducing depressive and anxiety symptoms.
- The benefits extend to individuals with subthreshold symptoms, as observed in the healthy control group.
- VR-based BF presents a promising non-pharmacological treatment option for a broader population.
