The goal of this project is the development of a virtual reality (VR) application for people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which is characterized by the presence of compulsive thoughts (obsessions) and compulsive behaviors (compulsions) that are performed to reduce anxiety. A patient with OCD may, for example, have a fear of contracting a certain disease, to which they react with excessive hygiene.
Our application should serve mainly as a supplement to classic cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). It utilizes the principle of VR exposure therapy (VRET), during which OCD patients are repeatedly and deliberately confronted with stimuli related to their disease. These elements correspond with individual dimensions of OCD symptoms (e.g., fear of contamination, compulsion to check, asymmetrical arrangement of objects). Suitable stimuli for a specific patient are selected during the first session, when the patient walks through the environment of the virtual house. In the following sessions, patients are exposed to feared situations according to their individual symptoms, and the performance of compulsions is prevented (or delayed). The house also contains stimuli for patients with hoarding disorder, who are led to throw things away within the virtual house.
VRET therapy serves mainly as a therapeutic tool in preparing the client for exposures later carried out in real environments and real situations.
