New wearable device may improve PTSD treatment experience: study

Researchers have developed a wristwatch-like wearable device to enhance the effects of long-term exposure therapy, a popular evidence-based treatment for people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

A wearable device called Bio Ware, the Bio Ware system includes a discreet button camera attached to the patient’s clothing, a watch-sized tool worn on the wrist, and Bluetooth headphones worn in the ear. so the therapist can virtually be with the patient. In experiences and situations that stress them out, research says.

Clinicians can instantly view a patient’s heart rate, respiration, and emotional distress recordings, encouraging them to do more, or pushing them back to do less. We can guide patients through experience to optimize in vivo exposure, says the study. .

A team of researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Health worked with medical device company Zeriscope to test the device. The results were published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research.

The sights, smells, and sounds of everyday life can trigger a person with PTSD to return to the scars of forgetting.

In PTSD, the sound of a horn, a crowded coffee shop, or a sharp scent can speed up your heart rate, increase muscle tone, and trigger traumatic memories that can lead to anxiety and depression. These reactions can occur without danger, but they can also create tension in relationships at home and at work, ignite a need to avoid certain situations, contribute to mood swings, and be unique. poses a threat of

According to the National Institutes of Health, PTSD can occur in anyone of any age, and treatment options include medications and treatments.

And since 11-30% of veterans experience symptoms of PTSD, the research team specifically recommends using Bio Ware for military personnel at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center. Considered.

In vivo exposure, a key component of long-term exposure therapy, subjects patients to place themselves in safe but uncomfortable or triggering situations outside of treatment sessions as a form of homework.

For example, if you have a fear of crowded places, your therapist could ask you to go to the grocery store during busy times and share your responses at the next therapy session. If they are feeling and avoiding it, the therapist could, for example, send them to a noisy sporting event to learn to feel more comfortable in those situations and not have to avoid them in the future. there is. .

When done properly, in vivo exposures have proven successful and beneficial for patients, but are highly dependent on the patient and their own interpretation of the stressor, says MUSC Health’s Psychiatry Department. Sudie Back, professor and principal investigator at NIMH, said. – It is a funded study and we believe there is room for error.

“What is very exciting about this new BioWare device is that it has shown significantly better results for patients when used in conjunction with evidence-based exposure therapy for PTSD.

Buck and her team found significant reductions in both PTSD and depression symptoms in patients who used the new technology, the study says.

According to Back, “To the best of my knowledge, it’s possible to virtually go with a patient during in vivo exposure and have immediate access to in-the-moment physiological data so that the patient can get the most out of it. I believe that doing these exercises will significantly reduce PTSD symptoms.”

Zeriscope co-founder and CEO Bill Harley compares this to working out on your own versus working out with a personal trainer.

“It’s incredibly helpful to be able to see the biophysics and communicate with the patient at the same time,” he said. “Many healings occur with in vivo exposure and Bio Ware enriches that experience.

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