A Head-to-head Comparison of Virtual Reality Treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Exposure Therapy (ET) is the current gold standard for treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Although ET has the best evidence in its favor, it is also clear that the treatment is less than perfect in achieving remission of PTSD. Attempts have been made to improve on traditional ET by augmenting the exposure using Virtual Reality (VR). Open label trials of VR assisted ET (VRET) showed this method to be safe and effective, and suggested remission rates that were higher than normally seen with ET alone. For the treatment of phobias, head to head comparison with traditional ET has shown VRET to be superior. For PTSD, trials that directly pit VRET against traditional ET, and against other traditional therapy, are ongoing, but it is already clear that some individuals who fail to respond to traditional ET do get better once VR is added. Lost in the rush to develop VRET, however, has been any direct testing of its signature aspect, the VR itself. There are theoretical reasons to believe that VR might enhance ET in special ways. However there are other reasons to believe that any form of Augmented Exposure Therapy (AET) that introduced sights and sounds from the trauma would do just as well. VR, although exciting, is expensive, cumbersome, and not available at most treatment facilities. If similar effects could be achieved using more primitive technology, it would open up the possibility of enhanced ET to a much wider range of patients. Conversely, if VRET were shown to be superior to simplified AET, it would argue for a unique role of VR in psychotherapy. Not only would this be theoretically important for neuroscientists, it would indicate VRET as a "platinum" standard for treating PTSD. For the past four years, programs at Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) and Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton have collaborated with VR companies and researcher to build and test VR systems to treat PTSD in Service Members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. NMCSD thus has the experience to perform the necessary experiments. The existing equipment also means that NMCSD has the unique ability to carry out such a test without any additional input from the companies that make VR systems. We propose to perform a randomized, head-to-head study that compares VRET to AET. We propose to perform a randomized, head-to-head study that compares VRET to AET. Up to 300 patients would be recruited with the goal of treating 40 patients with VR and 40 patients with the control (AET) therapy. The same techniques, measures, and controls would be used that NMCSD has already put in place to develop VRET for PTSD. Also, a cost-benefit analysis would be used to determine the benefits of VRET.