Virtual Reality and Cellular Phones as a Complementary Intervention for Veterans with PTSD and Substance Use Disorders

Abstract

In the present project, we are testing a novel adjunctive intervention designed to complement exposure-based therapies for combat veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and co-morbid substance use disorders (SUDs). The novel intervention uses virtual reality as a cue exposure platform to extinguish cravings to drug-related cues, and cellular phones as an extinction reminder platform to transfer learning effects from exposure/extinction in the clinic to adaptive responses in high-risk contexts for drug use in everyday life. It is hypothesized that: (a) the complementary intervention will be acceptable and feasible and (b) compared to participants receiving exposure therapy alone, those receiving exposure therapy plus the complementary intervention will have better treatment outcomes at post-treatment and follow-up, as evidenced by lower PTSD symptoms, less substance use, and greater retention in treatment.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 2011
Accession Number
ADA562183

Entities

People

  • Mark Z. Rosenthal

Organizations

  • Duke University

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Anxiety Disorders
  • Biomedical Research
  • Contracts
  • Data Management
  • Department Of Defense
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Electronic Mail
  • Extinction
  • Information Operations
  • Instructions
  • Intervention
  • Mobile Phones
  • Psychotic Disorders
  • Statistical Analysis
  • Traumatic Stress Disorder
  • Virtual Reality

Fields of Study

  • Medicine
  • Psychology

Readers

  • Agent-Based Social Robotics and Mobile-Assisted Learning in Virtual Environments.
  • Mental Health of Military Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Risk Factors, Prevalence, Symptoms, and Treatment.
  • Psychological Intervention/Treatment for Stress, Anxiety, PTSD, and Related Emotional and Cognitive Health Symptoms.