The LATE intends to be a platform for the study of fear and sadness in anxiety and other emotional disorders with a focus on the exploration of virtual reality technology for the diagnosis and treatment of such disorders.
ACTIVITIES
The LATE is currently involved in 2 main projects. The first project explores the potential of virtual reality in the study and treatment of specific phobias such as fear of driving, fear of flying and fear of public speaking. To achieve this goal, the LATE acquires, further develops and adapts relevant specific software and hardware. In a first step, the effects of exposure to anxiety provoking virtual environments are compared to the effects elicited by exposure to the same environments in imagination. The main objective of the project is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) designed to compare the efficacy of traditional cognitive behaviour therapy and virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) in each of these phobias.
The second project intends to identify emotional disorders (including problems with body image) that are associated with severe obesity (BMI over 40), to study the course of these problems at follow-up after surgery and to identify emotional factors that may be involved in the short-term as well as the long-term prognosis of patients presenting for gastric by-pass surgery. All candidates are assessed prior to the surgery and at one year after surgery. The assessment includes assessment of depression, anxiety, self-esteem, quality of life, handicap, body dissatisfaction and the presence of eating disorders such as binge eating disorders. In addition, the project includes the assessment of body image by questionnaires and by exposure to different body shapes and sizes using virtual reality.