The Intelligent e-Therapy system: a new paradigm for telepsychology and cybertherapy

ABSTRACT One of the main drawbacks of computer-assisted psychology tools developed up to now is related to the real time customisation and adaptation of the content to each patient depending on his/her activity. In this paper we propose a new approach for mental e-health treatments named Intelligent e-Therapy (eIT) with capabilities for ambient intelligence and ubiquitous computing. From a technical point of view, an eIT system is based on four fundamental axes: ambient intelligence for capturing physiological, psychological and contextual information of the patient; persuasive computing for changing/reinforcing behaviours; ubiquitous computing for using the system at any place, and at any time; and multiple technological platforms support.

[1]  Giuseppe Riva,et al.  Virtual Reality vs. Virtual Body: The Use of Virtual Environments in the Treatment of Body Experience Disturbances , 1998, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[2]  Concepción Perpiñá,et al.  Body Image and Virtual Reality in Eating Disorders: Is Exposure to Virtual Reality More Effective than the Classical Body Image Treatment? , 1999, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[3]  G Riva,et al.  A VR-based multicomponent treatment for panic disorders with agoraphobia. , 2001, Studies in health technology and informatics.

[4]  M. North,et al.  Virtual reality therapy: an effective treatment for phobias. , 1998, Studies in health technology and informatics.

[5]  G. Riva,et al.  Modifications of Body-Image Induced by Virtual Reality , 1998, Perceptual and motor skills.

[6]  M. Krijn,et al.  Virtual reality treatment versus exposure in vivo: a comparative evaluation in acrophobia. , 2002, Behaviour research and therapy.

[7]  Rosa María Baños Rivera,et al.  Claustrofobia: manual de tratamiento mediante realidad virtual , 2001 .

[8]  T. Harris,et al.  Health consequences of obesity in the elderly: a review of four unresolved questions , 2005, International Journal of Obesity.

[9]  K. Greenlund,et al.  Use of weight-for-height indices in children to predict adult overweight: the Bogalusa Heart Study. , 1996, International journal of obesity and related metabolic disorders : journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity.

[10]  Philip J. Benson,et al.  A computer-graphic technique for the study of body size perception and body types , 1999, Behavior research methods, instruments, & computers : a journal of the Psychonomic Society, Inc.

[11]  B. Rothbaum,et al.  Twelve-month follow-up of virtual reality and standard exposure therapies for the fear of flying. , 2002, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[12]  F W Brown,et al.  Rural telepsychiatry. , 1998, Psychiatric services.

[13]  Charles van der Mast,et al.  Virtual Reality Treatment in Acrophobia: A Comparison with Exposure in Vivo , 2001, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[14]  Lluís Serra Majem,et al.  Tablas de evaluación del riesgo coronario adaptadas a la población española. Estudio DORICA , 2004 .

[15]  Concepción Perpiñá,et al.  Virtual reality treatment of flying phobia , 2002, IEEE Transactions on Information Technology in Biomedicine.

[16]  Giuseppe Riva,et al.  Virtual Reality-Based Multidimensional Therapy for the Treatment of Body Image Disturbances in Obesity: A Controlled Study , 2001, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[17]  P. Salorio del Moral,et al.  LA REALIDAD VIRTUAL, UNA NUEVA HERRAMIENTA TERAPÉUTICA. TRATAMIENTO DE LA IMAGEN CORPORAL EN LOS TRASTORNOS ALIMENTARIOS. , 2004 .

[18]  S. Srinivasan,et al.  Adolescent overweight is associated with adult overweight and related multiple cardiovascular risk factors: the Bogalusa Heart Study. , 1996, Metabolism: clinical and experimental.

[19]  Giuseppe Riva,et al.  Treating body-image disturbances , 1997, CACM.

[20]  Gösta Samuelson,et al.  Global strategy on diet, physical activity and health , 2004 .

[21]  B. Rothbaum,et al.  Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for PTSD Vietnam Veterans: A Case Study , 1999, Journal of traumatic stress.

[22]  K. Flegal,et al.  Prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States, 1999-2004. , 2006, JAMA.

[23]  William Ribarsky,et al.  Virtual Environments Research at the Georgia Tech GVU Center , 1993, Presence: Teleoperators & Virtual Environments.

[24]  B. Rothbaum,et al.  A controlled study of virtual reality exposure therapy for the fear of flying. , 2000, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[25]  R. Baños,et al.  Virtual reality treatment of claustrophobia: a case report. , 1998, Behaviour research and therapy.

[26]  Giuseppe Riva,et al.  Experiential Cognitive Therapy for the Treatment of Panic Disorder With Agoraphobia: Definition of a Clinical Protocol , 2000, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[27]  Max M. North,et al.  Effectiveness of Virtual Environment Desensitization in the Treatment of Agoraphobia , 1996, Presence: Teleoperators & Virtual Environments.

[28]  Stéphane Bouchard,et al.  Experiential Cognitive Therapy in the Treatment of Panic Disorders with Agoraphobia: A Controlled Study , 2003, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[29]  R J Prineas,et al.  Relation of weight and rate of increase in weight during childhood and adolescence to body size, blood pressure, fasting insulin, and lipids in young adults. The Minneapolis Children's Blood Pressure Study. , 1999, Circulation.

[30]  Treatment of Obesity in Adults.  Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults--The Evidence Report. National Institutes of Health. , 1998, Obesity research.

[31]  C. Victora,et al.  Rapid growth in infancy and childhood and obesity in later life – a systematic review , 2005, Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity.

[32]  G A Colditz,et al.  Economic costs of obesity and inactivity. , 1999, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[33]  Rob Kooper,et al.  Virtual Environments for Treating the Fear of Heights , 1995, Computer.

[34]  Giuseppe Riva,et al.  Virtual Reality in Psychotherapy: Review , 2005, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[35]  F. W. Brown.  Rural telepsychiatry : Rural Psychiatry , 1998 .

[36]  Amalia Waxman,et al.  Who Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health * , 2004, Food and nutrition bulletin.

[37]  A Bener,et al.  Prevalence of overweight, obesity, and associated psychological problems in Qatari's female population , 2006, Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity.

[38]  Irving Kirsch,et al.  Virtual reality exposure therapy for the treatment of fear of flying: a controlled investigation. , 2002, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[39]  G A Colditz,et al.  Current estimates of the economic cost of obesity in the United States. , 1998, Obesity research.

[40]  C. Botella,et al.  Virtual reality in the treatment of spider phobia: a controlled study. , 2002, Behaviour research and therapy.

[41]  B. Bengtsson,et al.  The GH/IGF-1 Axis in Obesity: Physiological and Pathological Aspects. , 2006, Metabolic syndrome and related disorders.

[42]  Katherine M Flegal,et al.  Prevalence and trends in overweight among US children and adolescents, 1999-2000. , 2002, JAMA.

[43]  A. Astrup,et al.  Obesity : Preventing and managing the global epidemic , 2000 .

[44]  Jack M. Gorman,et al.  A Guide to Treatments That Work , 2007 .