Avatar Intervention for Cannabis Use Disorder in Individuals with Severe Mental Disorders: A Pilot Study

Giguère, Sabrina; Potvin, Stéphane; Beaudoin, Mélissa; Dellazizzo, Laura; Giguère, Charles–Édouard; Fürtös, Alexandra; Gilbert, Karine; Phraxayavong, Kingsada; Dumais, Alexandre

doi:10.3390/jpm13050766

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…The results of the pilot project involving 19 participants showed significant benefits after the intervention. Indeed, there was a moderate decrease in the quantity of cannabis consumed (d = 0.611, p = 0.004), a slight decreasing tendency in the frequency of cannabis use (d = 0.313, p = 0.05), and a significant improvement in severity of cannabis use (d = 0.474, p = 0.04) and motivation for change (d = 0.523, p = 0.046) [40].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Avatar Intervention for Cannabis Use Disorder in a Patient with Schizoaffective Disorder: A Case Report

Giguère,

Dellazizzo,

Beaudoin

et al. 2023

BioMedInformatics

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Considering the harmful effects of cannabis on individuals with a severe mental disorder and the limited effectiveness of current interventions, this case report showcases the beneficial results of a 10-session Avatar intervention for cannabis use disorder (CUD) on a polysubstance user with a comorbid schizoaffective disorder. Virtual reality allowed the creation of an Avatar representing a person significantly related to the patient’s drug use. Avatar intervention for CUD aims to combine exposure, relational, and cognitive behavioral therapies while practicing real-life situations and learning how to manage negative emotions and cravings. Throughout therapy and later on, Mr. C managed to maintain abstinence from all substances. Also, an improvement in the severity of CUD, as well as a greater motivation to change consumption, was observed after therapy. As observed by his mother, his psychiatrist, and himself, the benefits of Avatar intervention for CUD extended to other spheres of his life. The drastic results observed in this patient could be promising as an alternative to the current treatment available for people with a dual diagnosis of cannabis use disorder and psychotic disorder, which generally lack effectiveness. A single-blind randomized control trial comparing the treatment with a classical intervention in a larger sample is currently underway to evaluate whether the results are reproducible on a larger sample.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the present paper, we report the case of the very first patient to undergo avatar intervention and complete a 12-month follow-up evaluation, which is part of a pre-post pilot study that has been previously published [40]. Firstly, this paper will provide an overview of the intervention's course and the participant's progress.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Avatar Intervention for Cannabis Use Disorder in a Patient with Schizoaffective Disorder: A Case Report

Giguère,

Dellazizzo,

Beaudoin

et al. 2023

BioMedInformatics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Avatar Intervention for Cannabis Use disorder in Individuals with Severe Mental Disorders: Results from a one-year pilot clinical trial (Preprint)

Giguere,

Beaudoin,

Dellazizzo

et al. 2024

Preprint

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BACKGROUND The dual diagnosis of cannabis use disorder (CUD) and severe mental disorder (SMD) results in clinically complex individuals. Cannabis use is known to have negative consequences on psychiatric symptoms, medication compliance, and disease prognosis. Moreover, the effectiveness of currently available psychotherapeutic treatments is limited in this population. In this context, our research team developed avatar intervention, an approach using virtual reality as a therapeutic tool to treat CUD in individuals with SMD. OBJECTIVE This pilot clinical trial aimed to evaluate until 1 year follow-up efficacy of avatar intervention for CUD on 32 participants with a dual diagnosis of SMD and CUD. METHODS Over the course of the 8 therapy sessions, participants were given the opportunity to enter a dialogue with an avatar representing a person with a significant role in their consumption, who was animated in real time by a therapist. The primary outcomes were the quantity of cannabis consumed and the frequency of use. Secondary outcomes included severity of problematic cannabis use, motivation for change, protective strategies for cannabis use, consequences of cannabis use, psychiatric symptoms, and quality of life. In addition to the clinical evaluations conducted prior to and after the intervention, follow-up visits occurred 3, 6 and 12 months after the last session. RESULTS Significant reductions were observed in the quantity of cannabis consumed, and these were maintained until the 12-month follow-up visit (d =0.804, p<0.001; confirmed by urine quantification). Frequency of cannabis use showed a small significant reduction at the 3-month follow-up (d=0.384, p=0.031). Moreover, improvements were observed for severity of CUD, cannabis related negative consequences, motivation to change cannabis use and in the strategies employed to mitigate harms related to cannabis use. Finally, moderate benefits were observed for quality of life and psychiatric symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Overall, this unique intervention shows promising results that seem to be maintained up to 12 months after the end of the intervention. With the aim of overcoming the methodological limitations of a pilot study, a single-blind randomized controlled trial is currently underway to compare the avatar intervention for CUD with a conventional addiction intervention. CLINICALTRIAL Clinicaltrials.gov NCT03585127

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Avatar Intervention for Cannabis Use Disorder in Individuals with Severe Mental Disorders: A Pilot Study

Cited by 2 publications

References 100 publications

Avatar Intervention for Cannabis Use Disorder in a Patient with Schizoaffective Disorder: A Case Report

Avatar Intervention for Cannabis Use Disorder in a Patient with Schizoaffective Disorder: A Case Report

Avatar Intervention for Cannabis Use disorder in Individuals with Severe Mental Disorders: Results from a one-year pilot clinical trial (Preprint)

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