Virtual Reality for AnxIety Disorders - Randomized Controlled Trial

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) has a high prevalence and an early onset and has a lengthy recovery period often taking decades to occur. Current evidence supports the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with virtual reality (VR) exposure. However, the evidence is based on a small number of studies. This trial examines the efficacy of an intervention that combines CBT with individually tailored exposure in VR. During exposure, participants\' anxiety level is estimated in real time based on heart rate and electrodermal activity. Estimated anxiety level can guide the therapist\'s adjustment of the VR content. The above treatment is compared with the gold standard treatment for SAD which is cognitive behavioral therapy with exposure conducted in real life. Treatment is individual, manual-based and consists of 10 weekly sessions with a duration of 60 minutes. The aim of the study is to investigate whether CBT combined with exposure in VR (adapted on the basis of estimated anxiety level) is more effective than CBT with exposure in real life. The trial is a randomized controlled trail (RCT). The study includes 90 participants diagnosed with SAD. Assessments are carried out pre-treatment, mid-treatment and at follow-up (6 and 12 months). The primary outcome of the study is self-reported symptoms of social anxiety using Social Interaction Anxiety Scale. The primary endpoint is post-treatment.