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Benefits of Therapy With Virtual Reality Exposure in the Treatment of Cocaine Use Disorders

Not Applicable
Conditions
Addiction
Cocaine-Related Disorders
Interventions
Behavioral: Virtual Reality-Enhanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (VR-CBT)
Behavioral: Treatment as usual
Registration Number
NCT04280900
Lead Sponsor
University Hospital, Clermont-Ferrand
Brief Summary

Cocaine addiction is a multifactorial disease with important consequences: somatic, psychiatric... The number of applications for treatment for cocaine addiction is gradually increasing from year to year but no conventional treatment is available. New tools such as virtual reality could be used in this treatment. We propose to create a virtual reality program based on the analysis of high-risk relapse situations described by patients. We will then assess the effect of this cybertherapy on patients' relapse time and their desire to use cocaine

Detailed Description

In France, according to the Health Barometer 2017, cocaine testing has seen two decades of increases from 1.2% in 1995 to 5.6% in 2017, making it the second most widely used illicit substance. About 5% of cocaine users may become addicted in the first year of use, while 20% will develop long-term addiction. This dependence or substance use disorder is characterized in particular by a loss of control of cocaine use and continued use despite the negative consequences. Another of the central dimensions of this disorder is the craving (irresistible or irrepressible need or desire to consume) which is caused by internal or external stimuli. Craving is the cause of frequent loss of controls and re-consumption.

The treatment of cocaine addictions is generally based on a dual model of pharmacological treatment often aimed at limiting craving and psychotherapeutic treatment in order to alter the emotions and memory associated with cocaine use; for example: relearning product management when it comes to the subject.

In this context, the use of a 3D tool, which allows a gradual and well-detested exposure without confrontation, seems an interesting prospect. Virtual reality therapies have historically been known for treating phobias (fears). In addictions, exposure therapies are done in imagination and rarely with consumer-inducing situations. Since 2000, several researchers have successfully used virtual reality applications in addictions, but there is little data on objective assessments of the effectiveness of cybertherapy in the treatment of cocaine addictions.

All of these elements converge to propose a protocol called "CORVI" to evaluate the effectiveness of virtual reality exposure therapy as the management of patients with cocaine use disorder versus management classic.

The project is based on 3 phases: 1/construction of films that can be used in cybertherapy that reproduce situations in which there are stimuli generating "craving" to cocaine. 2/ Treatment of 2 randomized patient groups with and without cybertherapy (n-20/group) 3/Relapse evaluations at 1.2 and 3 months post-treatment

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
UNKNOWN
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
50
Inclusion Criteria
  • suffering from a cocaine use disorder with craving criteria present according to the criteria of DSM 5
  • wanting to stop cocaine use
  • able to give informed consent to participate in research
  • Covered by a Social Security plan.
Exclusion Criteria

Patient with:

  • psychiatric comorbidities (DSM 5) unstabilized
  • dipsomaniac alcoholism
  • an anteriority of one or more hypomanic or manic episodes
  • unstabilized psychosis
  • an unstabilized depression
  • a severe suicidal risk
  • a syndrome of dependence on products other than cocaine or tobacco
  • unstabilized anxiety
  • problems that hinder participation in 3D exposure, as a tendency to dissociation; phobias of the type of information (panic attacks and hypochondria...) severe dizziness...
  • cognitive problems limiting or preventing the possibility of implementing coping or managing emotions or stimuli and disabilities to complete questionnaires
  • a language barrier
  • a serious intercurrent pathology
  • the need for weekly individual follow-up Patient in a protected population such as pregnant women, lactating women, patients under guardianship, guardianship, deprived of freedoms, or in safeguarding justice

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
cybertherapyVirtual Reality-Enhanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (VR-CBT)use of cybertherapy (8 sessions) in addition to cognitive behavioral therapy (4 sessions) (pharmacological treatment are note modified)
Treatment as usualTreatment as usualTreatment as usual is a cognitive behavioral therapy I (4 sessions) (pharmacological treatment are note modified)
cybertherapyTreatment as usualuse of cybertherapy (8 sessions) in addition to cognitive behavioral therapy (4 sessions) (pharmacological treatment are note modified)
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Percentage of relapser patients at 3 months post-interventionday 90 after intervention

recovery in consumption of cocaine at M3 after intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Score on the personal efficiency sentiment scaleday 90 after intervention

Evaluation of the score on the personal efficiency sentiment scale

Consumption of quantity of cocaineday 90 after intervention

Evaluation of quantity of cocaine consumed

Percentage of relapser patientsday 30 after intervention

recovery in relapser patients at M1 after intervention

Way of consumption of cocaineday 90 after intervention

Evaluation of the way of cocaine consumption

Frequence of cocaine consumed during relapseday 90 after intervention

Evaluation of cocaine frequence consumption during relapse

Craving scoreday 90 after intervention

evaluation of craving score (/10) compared to inclusion score

Duration of abstinenceday 90 after intervention

recovery of abstinence duration

amount of cocaine consumed during relapseday 90 after intervention

Evaluation of cocaine amount consumed during relapse

Frequency of consumption of cocaineday 90 after intervention

Evaluation of the frequency of cocaine consumption

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

CHU Clermont Ferrand

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Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne, France

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