A Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of VR for Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder (BD) refers to a type of mood disorder that clinically manifests as both manic or hypomanic episodes and depressive episodes. Bipolar disorder is characterized by high morbidity, recurrence, disability, suicide and comorbidity rate. The first episode often occurs before age 20, with a lifetime morbidity rate ranging from 1.5% to 6.4% . Patients with bipolar disorder spend significantly more time experiencing depressive episodes than manic or mixed symptoms throughout their lives. At the same time, depressive episodes can cause severe psycho-social disabilities, imposing a heavy economic burden on their families and society . Despite being the first-line recommended treatment for bipolar depression, pharmacotherapy still cannot fully meet the clinical needs. Some patients do not achieve clinical remission even after receiving adequate and full-course pharmacotherapy. Even if clinical remission is achieved, many patients still have residual symptoms, and those in the maintenance phase still face a high risk of relapse. Psychotherapy has been reported to have various benefits such as improving interpersonal communication skills, enhancing cohesion, and building social support systems, and it has been widely used in the treatment of depression. Although psychological intervention plays a crucial role in the treatment of bipolar depression, its application in reality is still limited. One important reason is the shortage of psychological treatment service resources. The application of virtual reality (VR) technology in the treatment of mental illnesses has overcome the limitations of traditional psychotherapy techniques. It provides a safer, more controllable, and personalized treatment approach, enabling patients to experience environments and events more intuitively and vividly. This study aims to explore the clinical intervention effects of a mental disorder adjuvant treatment software developed by Nanjing XR-Oasis Technology Co., Ltd. on patients with bipolar disorder experiencing depressive episodes. The technology is based on the theoretical frameworks of cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, mental health education, and Naikan therapy, combined with VR technology.