Avatar Therapy in Comparison to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Treatment-resistant Schizophrenia

July 15, 2020 updated by: Alexandre Dumais, Ciusss de L'Est de l'Île de Montréal

A Pilot Randomized Controlled Study to Compare Avatar Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Patients With Treatment-resistant Schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is associated with long-lasting health, social and financial burden for patients, families, caregivers and society. Unfortunately, 25-30% of schizophrenia patients respond poorly to antipsychotic medication. Moreover, psychotherapeutic treatment alternatives are very limited for this suffering population. This unmet clinical need requires innovation and action. Psychotherapeutic treatment alternatives such as Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) provide at best moderate results. Using immersive virtual reality, we recently tested a novel psychotherapeutic intervention, Avatar Therapy (AT), where the therapist engages in a dialogue with the patient through a virtual representation of the patient's distressing voice. This approach, being both relational and experiential, provides a unique opportunity to aid patients gain control over their voice. The results of our pilot study on AT were clinically promising for the severity and distress related to hallucinations, positive symptomatology and emotion regulation. To further research in this field, the primary goal of this randomized-controlled, single-site parallel study is to show that AT is superior to CBT for the treatment of persistent auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia. Our secondary goal is to examine the effects of these interventions on emotion regulation, mood symptoms (anxiety and depression), self-esteem, level of functioning and quality of life.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
74

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Canada
    • Quebec
      • Montréal, Quebec, Canada, H1N 3M5
        • Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • distressing auditory verbal hallucinations
  • medication resistance relating to auditory verbal hallucinations (no response after 3 antipsychotics trials lasting at least 4 weeks each with a minimum of 400mg chlorpromazine equivalent)
  • DSM-5 diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder

Exclusion Criteria:

  • any change in medication within the past 2 months;
  • substance use disorder within the last 12 months
  • neurological disorder or unstable and serious physical illness
  • ongoing psychotic episode
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for psychosis within the last 12 months

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy comprises of nine weekly sessions of an hour.
Behavioral: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Participants will be offered 9 individual and weekly sessions of 1 hour, which will be administered in an individual format by a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for psychosis (CBTp). The program is derived and adapted from current evidence-based treatments for hallucinations. The 9 CBTp sessions will consist of a succession of learning modules and suggested task assignments.
Other Names:
  • CBT for psychosis
Experimental: Avatar Therapy
Avatar Therapy consists of 9 weekly sessions: one avatar creation session and 8 therapeutic sessions of one hour.
Behavioral: Avatar Therapy
Participants will be offered 9 individual and weekly sessions of 1 hour, which will be administered in an individual format by a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist experienced with psychosis patients. The therapy will consist in prompting participants to enter in a dialogue with their persecutor to better regulate their emotional responses. Over the course of the therapy, the avatar's speech and tone will gradually be changed by the therapist to echo participants' improved ability to regulate their emotions. That is, the avatar will progressively change from being abusive to becoming helpful and supportive. By doing so, the therapy will seek to reinforce participants' feeling of empowerment over their voices.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Psychotic Symptom Rating Scale (PSYRATS) - auditory hallucinations
Time Frame: Within 1 week before treatment, within 1 week after treatment, follow-ups at 3 months, 6 months and 12 months
11-item structured interview assessing the severity of auditory hallucinations; Range 0-44, Higher values indicate a worse outcome
Within 1 week before treatment, within 1 week after treatment, follow-ups at 3 months, 6 months and 12 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Beliefs About Voices Questionnaire - Revised (BAVQ-R)
Time Frame: Within 1 week before treatment, within 1 week after treatment, follow-ups at 3 months, 6 months and 12 months
35-item self-reported measure designed to assess key beliefs and responses people have concerning their voice; Range 0-105, Higher scores indicate more beliefs and responses toward their voice
Within 1 week before treatment, within 1 week after treatment, follow-ups at 3 months, 6 months and 12 months
Change in Positive And Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS)
Time Frame: Within 1 week before treatment, within 1 week after treatment, follow-ups at 3 months, 6 months and 12 months
30-item semi-structured interview investigating overall symptoms severity of schizophrenia in the last week; Range 30-210, Higher values indicate a more severe symptomatology
Within 1 week before treatment, within 1 week after treatment, follow-ups at 3 months, 6 months and 12 months
Change in Beck Depression Inventory - II (BDI-II)
Time Frame: Within 1 week before treatment, within 1 week after treatment, follow-ups at 3 months, 6 months and 12 months
21-item self-reported measure assessing depression symptoms over the past 2 weeks; Range 0-63, Higher values indicate more severe depressive symptomatology
Within 1 week before treatment, within 1 week after treatment, follow-ups at 3 months, 6 months and 12 months
Change in Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire - Short Form (QLESQ-SF)
Time Frame: Within 1 week before treatment, within 1 week after treatment, follow-ups at 3 months, 6 months and 12 months
16-item self-reported scale measuring enjoyment and satisfaction experienced during the past week in various areas of daily functioning; Range 14-70, Higher values indicate a better satisfaction of life
Within 1 week before treatment, within 1 week after treatment, follow-ups at 3 months, 6 months and 12 months
Change in Empowerment scale (Making Decisions) - Revised Short Form
Time Frame: Within 1 week before treatment, within 1 week after treatment, follow-ups at 3 months, 6 months and 12 months
25-item self-reported scale measuring the feeling of empowerment; Range 25-100, Higher values indicate a stronger feeling of empowerment
Within 1 week before treatment, within 1 week after treatment, follow-ups at 3 months, 6 months and 12 months

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Igroup Presence Questionnaire (IPQ)
Time Frame: At the end of each Avatar Therapy session
14-item scale measuring the sense of presence; Range 0-84, Higher values indicate a stronger feeling of presence
At the end of each Avatar Therapy session

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Ciusss de L'Est de l'Île de Montréal

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Otsuka Canada Pharmaceutical Inc.

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Alexandre Dumais, MD, Ph.D, Institut Philippe Pinel de Montréal

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
March 1, 2017

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
March 31, 2020

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
July 1, 2020

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
July 2, 2018

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 2, 2018

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
July 12, 2018

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
July 17, 2020

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 15, 2020

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
July 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • IPPM 16-17 - 06

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

No

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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