Application of 360° virtual reality videos in the assessment of paranoia in schizophrenia patients: a pilot study. / Zastosowanie wirtualnej rzeczywistosci w formie filmów 360° do oceny nasilenia paranoi u pacjentów ze schizofrenia: badanie pilotazowe.

OBJECTIVES: Virtual Reality (VR) has been widely used in psychiatry, including psychotic disorders. The main advantage of VR is its high ecological validity and controllability of the virtual environment. Our main goal was to test whether, similarly to computer-generated VR, 360-degree videos are able to elicit a state of social paranoia in prone individuals. METHODS: Sixteen schizophrenia patients and twenty-three healthy individuals were assessed using Leibowitz Social Anxiety Scale and additionally, in the patient group, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS-6) and Peters Delusional Inventory (PDI) were used. The participants viewed four 360-degree videos with and without social content on a VR headset. Meanwhile, subjects' heart rate was measured continuously. After the exposure, both groups were assessed with Social State Paranoia Scale (SSPS) and asked about momentary anxiety and sense of presence. RESULTS: The schizophrenia patients reported higher momentary anxiety, although the results of SSPS did not differ significantly between groups. In the control group the heart rate decreased between first non-social and social video, whereas in the patient group it did not differ significantly. There was a significant correlation of paranoid ideation experienced on daily basis (PDI) and elicited in VR (SSPS) in the patient group. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, paranoid responses can be triggered in patients with schizophrenia by 360-degree videos.

Predictors of Satisfaction with Care in Patients Suffering from Schizophrenia Treated Under Community Mental Health Teams.

The aim of this study was to assess satisfaction with care and to identify the predictors of this variable among sociodemographic, clinical and social data in a group of patients suffering from schizophrenia under treatment in community mental health teams. The study included 90 patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia under the care of community mental health teams. Positive and Negative SyndromeScale, Verona Service Satisfaction Scale, Disability Assessment Schedule, Social Network Index and a loneliness scale (UCLA Loneliness Scale)were used in the study. Prognostic factors for higher satisfaction with care in the multivariate model involved: level of disability (Beta = -0.46, p < 0.001), duration of treatment under a CMHT (Beta = 0.36, p < 0.001), age (Beta = -0.37,p < 0.001), and education (Beta = -0.30, p = 0.002). The model explained 43% of the variance in the dependent variable. 1.Satisfaction with care in a CMHT was high. 2. Higher patient satisfaction could be predicted based on a lower level of disability, longer duration of treatment under a CMHT, lower age and lower education.

The effects of mindfulness-based training in virtual reality on psychotic symptoms, mood and cognitive functioning - a pilot study. / Wplyw treningu uwaznosci w wirtualnej rzeczywistosci na objawy psychotyczne, nastrój i funkcjonowanie poznawcze ­ badanie pilotazowe.

OBJECTIVES: Virtual reality (VR) is growing in popularity in treating various psychiatric disorders, including psychotic ones. However, no studies have been published on mindfulness interventions aided by virtual reality in psychotic patients to date. METHODS: 25 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were assessed at three time points with 4-week intervals using the six-item Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS-6), Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), and the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination III (ACE-III). Additionally, the intensity of seven emotions was rated using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) before and after each training session. RESULTS: The subjects achieved a significant reduction in symptom severity after completing mindfulness training. This was reflected by the PANSS-6 total score, as well as by the subscales for negative and positive symptoms. A significant increase in cognitive functioning (ACE-III scores) was also found. No significant changes in these measures were observed when only the standard intervention was used. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates good feasibility of the developed mindfulness intervention in VR in schizophrenic patients. The results indicate potential benefits in terms of lessening of the symptoms and improvement in cognition.