Modification of the therapist’s facial expressions using virtual reality technology during the treatment of social anxiety disorder: a case series

Frontiers in Psychology

Psychology

Masaru Mimura¹  Toshiro Horigome²  Taishiro Kishimoto³  Tomohiro Tanikawa⁴  Shigeo Yoshida⁵ 

[1] Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan;Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan;Department of Psychiatry, Shonan Keiiku Hospital, Kanagawa, Japan;Hills Joint Research Laboratory for Future Preventive Medicine and Wellness, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan;Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, New York, NY, United States;Next Generation Artificial Intelligence Research Center, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan;Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan;OMRON SINIC X Corporation, Tokyo, Japan;

关键词: social anxiety disorder;    exposure therapy;    facial expressions;    virtual reality;    fear of negative evaluation;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1030050

 received in 2022-08-28, accepted in 2023-04-28,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Exposure therapy is a mainstream of treatment for social anxiety disorder (SAD). However, effort and time are required to recreate interpersonal situations that produce moderate anxiety. On the other hand, virtual reality exposure therapy can easily control anxiety-inducing conditions and allow for graduated exposure. However, artificial intelligence and animations that speak as naturally as actual humans are not yet practical, adding to the limitations of these treatments. The authors propose the use of a virtual reality technology that can transform facial expressions into smiling or sad faces in real time and display them on a monitor, potentially solving the above-mentioned problems associated with virtual reality animations. This feasibility study was conducted to determine whether this system can be safely applied to the treatment of SAD patients. A total of four SAD patients received 16 exposure therapy sessions led by an experienced therapist over a monitor; throughout the sessions, the facial expressions of the therapist were modified using software to display expressions ranging from smiling to sad on the monitor that was being viewed by the patient. Client satisfaction, treatment alliance, and symptom assessments were then conducted. Although one patient dropped out of the study, treatment satisfaction and treatment alliance were scored high in all the cases. In two of the four cases, the improvement in symptoms was sustained over time. Exposure therapy in which the interviewer’s facial expressions are modified to induce appropriate levels of anxiety in the patient can be safely used for the treatment of SAD patients and may be effective for some patients.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
Copyright © 2023 Horigome, Yoshida, Tanikawa, Mimura and Kishimoto.