Cue-exposure software for the treatment of bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder

Abstract

Background: Cue-exposure therapy (CET) has proven its effi cacy in treating patients with bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder who are resistant to standard treatment. Furthermore, incorporating virtual reality (VR) technology is increasingly considered a valid exposure method that may help to increase the effi cacy of standard treatments in a variety of eating disorders. Although immersive displays improve the benefi cial effects, expensive technology is not always necessary. Method: We aimed to assess whether exposure to food related virtual environments could decrease food craving in a non-clinical sample. In addition, we specifi cally compared the effects of two VR systems (one non-immersive and one immersive) during CET. We therefore applied a one-session CET to 113 undergraduate students. Results: Decreased food craving was found during exposure to both VR environments compared with pre-treatment levels, supporting the effi cacy of VR-CET in reducing food craving. We found no signifi cant differences in craving between immersive and non-immersive systems. Conclusions: Low-cost non-immersive systems applied through 3D laptops can improve the accessibility of this technique. By reducing the costs and improving the usability, VR-CET on 3D laptops may become a viable option that can be readily applied in a greater range of clinical contexts.