The DOI matches its Crossref record; 89 of the 90 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Virtual reality in psychiatric disorders: A systematic review of reviews
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Virtual reality (VR) is being used more and more often as a therapeutic tool in psychology or psychiatry. In recent years, VR interventions appear more extensively also in disorders such as depression, anxiety and phobia. However, there has yet to be a comprehensive synthesis and critical review of the literature to identify future directions to advance the field in this area. OBJECTIVES: To broadly characterize the literature to date on the application of VR in psychiatric disorders by conducting a systematic review of reviews, describe the limitations of existing research, suggest avenues for future research to address gaps in the current literature and provide practical recommendations for incorporating VR into various treatments for psychiatric disorders. METHODS: PubMed and Web of Science databases were searched for reviews on VR use in psychiatric disorders (e.g. various pain perceptions, post-traumatic stress disorder, phobias, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, psychosis, depression). The methodological quality of each literature review was assessed using AMSTAR. RESULTS: The original search identified 848 reviews, of which 70 were included in the systematic review of reviews. Broadly, the literature indicates that various VR interventions could be useful in different psychiatric disorders. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence supporting the positive impact of VR therapy in psychiatric disorders. However, the impact is defined differently according to the studied area. Nevertheless, due to the continuous development of VR hardware and software, it is essential to conduct further research in the area of psychiatric disorders, especially as no review has concluded that VR does not work.
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“While meta-analyses have supported the efficacy of VR treatments for various mental disorders in adults [2,4]”
From A Virtual Reality–Based Cognitive Defusion Application for Youth Depression and Anxiety: Mixed Methods Experimental Study. (2025) · cites this paper as [4]
In the citing paper
“In addition, because of the growth of technologies, the application of virtual and immersive reality in mental health has become increasingly common [14].”
From Innovative Technology–Based Interventions to Reduce Stigma Toward People With Mental Illness: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (2022) · cites this paper as [14]
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Cites
1 retracted
Retracted: Implementations of Virtual Reality for Anxiety-Related Disorders: Systematic Review
Oing, T., & Prescott, J. (2018) · JMIR Serious Games · doi:10.2196/10965 · Cited by 157
RetractedGRADE guidelines: 3. Rating the quality of evidence
Balshem, H., Helfand, M., Schünemann, H. J., Oxman, A. D., Kunz, R., Brozek, J., Vist, G. E., Falck-Ytter, Y., Meerpohl, J., & Norris, S. (2011) · Journal of Clinical Epidemiology · doi:10.1016/j.jclinepi.2010.07.015 · Cited by 8,285
Simulator Sickness Questionnaire: An Enhanced Method for Quantifying Simulator Sickness
Kennedy, R. S., Lane, N. E., Berbaum, K. S., & Lilienthal, M. G. (1993) · The International Journal of Aviation Psychology · doi:10.1207/s15327108ijap0303_3 · Cited by 5,457
Development of AMSTAR: A measurement tool to assess the methodological quality of systematic reviews
Shea, B. J., Grimshaw, J. M., Wells, G. A., Boers, M., Andersson, N., Hamel, C., Porter, A. C., Tugwell, P., Moher, D., & Bouter, L. M. (2007) · BMC Medical Research Methodology · doi:10.1186/1471-2288-7-10 · Cited by 4,374
Assessing Risk of Bias in Included Studies
Higgins, J. P., & Altman, D. G. (2008) · Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions · doi:10.1002/9780470712184.ch8 · Cited by 3,396
The global prevalence of common mental disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis 1980–2013
Steel, Z., Marnane, C., Iranpour, C., Chey, T., Jackson, J. W., Patel, V., & Silove, D. (2014) · International Journal of Epidemiology · doi:10.1093/ije/dyu038 · Cited by 2,846
Virtual Reality in the Assessment, Understanding, and Treatment of Mental Health Disorders
Freeman, D., Reeve, S., Robinson, A., Ehlers, A., Clark, D., Spanlang, B., & Slater, M. (2017) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s003329171700040x · Cited by 1,428
Cipresso, P., Giglioli, I. A. C., Alcañíz, M., & Riva, G. (2018) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02086 · Cited by 1,318
Methodology in conducting a systematic review of systematic reviews of healthcare interventions
Smith, V., Devane, D., Begley, C. M., & Clarke, M. (2011) · BMC Medical Research Methodology · doi:10.1186/1471-2288-11-15 · Cited by 1,227
Kim, H. K., Park, J., Choi, Y., & Choe, M. (2018) · Applied Ergonomics · doi:10.1016/j.apergo.2017.12.016 · Cited by 1,041
Research works printed but not linked: 1
- Ambroży, 2016, The actual use of the virtual world: A meta-analysis of research on virtual reality [Rzeczywiste zastosowanie wirtualnego świata: Metaanaliza badań na temat wirtualnej rzeczywistości], Kultura Bezpieczeństwa Nauka-Praktyka-Refleksje, 22, 46
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Virtual reality in the diagnostic and therapy for mental disorders: A systematic review
Wiebe, A., Kannen, K., Selaskowski, B., Mehren, A., Thöne, A.-K., Pramme, L., Blumenthal, N., Li, M., Asché, L., Jonas, S., et al. (2022) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2022.102213 · Cited by 223
Virtual Reality and Metacognition Training Techniques for Learning Disabilities
Drigas, A. S., Mitsea, E., & Skianis, C. A. (2022) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su141610170 · Cited by 306
Czech, O., Wrzeciono, A., Rutkowska, A., Guzik, A., Kiper, P., & Rutkowski, S. (2021) · Journal of Clinical Medicine · doi:10.3390/jcm10153248 · Cited by 151
Self-citationAdvances in the use of virtual reality to treat mental health conditions
Bell, I. H., Pot-Kolder, R., Rizzo, A., Rus-Calafell, M., Cardi, V., Cella, M., Ward, T., Riches, S., Reinoso, M., Thompson, A., et al. (2024) · Nature Reviews Psychology · doi:10.1038/s44159-024-00334-9 · Cited by 140
Adverse Effects of Virtual and Augmented Reality Interventions in Psychiatry: Systematic Review
Lundin, R. M., Yeap, Y., & Menkes, D. B. (2023) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/43240 · Cited by 125
Metadata
- Authors
- Cieślik, B., Mazurek, J., Rutkowski, S., Kiper, P., Turolla, A., & Szczepańska-Gieracha, J.
- Affiliations
- Jan Długosz University (PL)
- Wroclaw Medical University (PL)
- Opole University of Technology (PL)
- IRCCS San Camillo Hospital (IT)
- University of Wrocław (PL)
- Corresponding author
- Cieślik, Błażej
- ORCID
- Venue
- Complementary Therapies in Medicine
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2020-08
- Volume
- 52
- Pages
- 102480
- ISSN
- 0965-2299 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W3035314657
- Cited by
- 240
- References
- 90
- Citations by year
- 2026: 38 · 2025: 38 · 2024: 37 · 2023: 52 · 2022: 34 · 2021: 36 · 2020: 4
- FWCI
- 3.33
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Complementary Therapies in Medicine (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Archivio istituzionale della ricerca (Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Human-Computer Interaction › Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
- Keywords
- virtual reality, mental illness, virtual reality therapy, depression, anxiety, phobia, post-traumatic stress disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, psychosis, pain perception, psychotherapy
- MeSH terms
- Systematic Reviews as Topic, Mental Disorders, Humans, Review Literature as Topic, Pain Management, Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy
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