Version 1
: Received: 25 July 2024 / Approved: 25 July 2024 / Online: 26 July 2024 (09:36:27 CEST)
How to cite:
Gaina, M. A.; Stefanescu, B. V.; Tofan, C. M.; Magurianu, L. A.; Axinte, M.; Hodorog, D. N.; Szalontay, A. S.; Stefanescu, C.; Gaina, A. M. Virtual Reality for Anxiety in Alcohol Use Disorder: Myths, Risks, and Realities. Preprints2024, 2024072121. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.2121.v1
Gaina, M. A.; Stefanescu, B. V.; Tofan, C. M.; Magurianu, L. A.; Axinte, M.; Hodorog, D. N.; Szalontay, A. S.; Stefanescu, C.; Gaina, A. M. Virtual Reality for Anxiety in Alcohol Use Disorder: Myths, Risks, and Realities. Preprints 2024, 2024072121. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.2121.v1
Gaina, M. A.; Stefanescu, B. V.; Tofan, C. M.; Magurianu, L. A.; Axinte, M.; Hodorog, D. N.; Szalontay, A. S.; Stefanescu, C.; Gaina, A. M. Virtual Reality for Anxiety in Alcohol Use Disorder: Myths, Risks, and Realities. Preprints2024, 2024072121. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.2121.v1
APA Style
Gaina, M. A., Stefanescu, B. V., Tofan, C. M., Magurianu, L. A., Axinte, M., Hodorog, D. N., Szalontay, A. S., Stefanescu, C., & Gaina, A. M. (2024). Virtual Reality for Anxiety in Alcohol Use Disorder: Myths, Risks, and Realities. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.2121.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Gaina, M. A., Cristinel Stefanescu and Alexandra Maria Gaina. 2024 "Virtual Reality for Anxiety in Alcohol Use Disorder: Myths, Risks, and Realities" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.2121.v1
Abstract
Background: Virtual Reality (VR) is an emerging tool in the management of anxiety, one of the most disturbing symptoms of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), which often leads to relapse. Still, patients with Alcohol Use Disorder frequently have a history of Acute Symptomatic Seizures, and they are subsequently excluded from studies using VR because of the hypothesized fear of inducing photosensitive seizures. The first part of this narrative review explores the pathophysiological mechanisms of seizures associated with AUD, specifically acute symptomatic seizures. In contrast, the second part explores virtual reality’s safe use in seizure-prone individuals, highlighting that the current state-of-the-art is based on a biased per-ception and old epidemiological data from studies conducted on photosensitive seizures in the late 90s. VR exposure has yet to be reported as triggering seizures within known pharmacovigilance databases. Significance: The implications weigh heavily on VR research currently associated with this significant adverse event. Further studies are necessary to address the risk of seizures triggered by VR in patients predisposed to developing seizures, like alcohol use disorder patients with a history of acute symptomatic seizures. Such research is essential to ensure that the potential benefits of Virtual Reality as a tool for managing anxiety in individuals with alcohol use disorder and acute symptomatic seizures are not unduly restricted. Furthermore, AUD can also serve as an intervention model feasible to de-bias attitudes toward the current lack of evidence base concerning the significant adverse events of VR-induced seizures, therefore facilitating the clinical implementation of this unharnessed digital treatment interface.
Medicine and Pharmacology, Psychiatry and Mental Health
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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