Presence and Relapse Rates in Patients with Alcohol Use Disorder Using Virtual Reality

Launched by CHARITE UNIVERSITY, BERLIN, GERMANY · Mar 23, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying how virtual reality (VR) can help people with alcohol dependence manage their cravings and reduce the chances of relapse. The researchers want to see if experiencing a strong sense of "presence" while using VR to confront alcohol-related cues can affect how much participants crave alcohol. This trial is looking for adults aged 18 to 65 who have completed an inpatient treatment for alcohol withdrawal in the last three months and have experienced cravings for alcohol.

Participants in this study will engage in VR sessions designed to expose them to alcohol-related situations while monitoring their cravings. To be eligible, individuals must have a diagnosis of alcohol dependence, have not consumed alcohol for at least seven days, and be able to give written consent. However, people with other substance dependencies, severe mental health issues, or certain medical conditions may not qualify. If you're interested in how VR could potentially help with alcohol cravings, this trial might be a good fit!

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • age: 18-65 years
• • diagnosis of alcohol dependence according to ICD-10 (F10.2)
• • completed in-patient withdrawal treatment during the last 3 months
• • history of alcohol craving, confrmed via craving questionnaires
• • able to provide written informed consent
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • substance dependence other than alcohol and nicotine
• • current alcohol intoxication (randomly tested via measurement of breath alcohol concentration)
• • unable to understand the study information, consent form or principles of the study
• • abstinence for less than 7 days or on-going consumption of alcohol
• • severe neuropsychiatric disorder, e.g., schizophrenia spectrum disorders, bipolar afective disorder or substantial cognitive impairment
• • somatic diseases for which VR is associated with risks, e.g. photosensitive epilepsy
• • acute suicidality or acute endangerment of others
• • concurrent pharmacological treatment targeting AUD (i.e. benzodiazepines) or craving (i.e. acamprosate, disulfram, naltrexone, nalmefene)