VR supported self-help treatment for adolescents with psychosis

Psychosis is a severe psychological condition that affects some people, including adolescents. Unfortunately, treating psychosis and psychotic disorders takes a long time. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and CBT for treating psychosis (CBTp) promise the most effective treatment; however, it is too long, considerably affects patients’ individual lives, and involves high individual costs. Using Virtual Reality (VR) technology, behavioral experiments in CBTp can be carried out during therapy sessions by exposing the patient to simulated social scenarios that they find challenging. This CBT-supported process promises improvements in increased patients’ experiences and allows patient gains in their regular lives. This report illustrates the development based on a VR-assisted treatment protocol currently being developed and clinically tested at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway, and the possibilities of a VR self-help application as a supplement to clinical sessions. Furthermore, patients will be able to perform different social-training exercises in familiar home conditions using the therapists’ defined guidelines prepared beforehand. This project application uses VR technology and speech recognition to reach this goal of self-help treatment. With the help of speech recognition, the VR application can understand what the patient is saying, provide appropriate feedback, and assure a flow in the conversation through the different scenarios. An iterative mixed method, including system usability tests and follow-up interviews with clinical domain experts, was conducted to test this application’s usability and feasibility. First testing iterations’ System Usability Scale (SUS) results were positive and indicated concrete issues for improvement. Moreover, the final testing iteration delivered excellent results, showing the possibility of using a VR-supported self-help treatment for psychosis. Psychosis is a severe psychological condition that affects some people, including adolescents. Unfortunately, treating psychosis and psychotic disorders takes a long time. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and CBT for treating psychosis (CBTp) promise the most effective treatment; however, it is too long, considerably affects patients’ individual lives, and involves high individual costs. Using Virtual Reality (VR) technology, behavioral experiments in CBTp can be carried out during therapy sessions by exposing the patient to simulated social scenarios that they find challenging. This CBT-supported process promises improvements in increased patients’ experiences and allows patient gains in their regular lives. This report illustrates the development based on a VR-assisted treatment protocol currently being developed and clinically tested at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway, and the possibilities of a VR self-help application as a supplement to clinical sessions. Furthermore, patients will be able to perform different social-training exercises in familiar home conditions using the therapists’ defined guidelines prepared beforehand. This research application uses VR technology and speech recognition to reach this goal of self-help treatment. With the help of speech recognition, the VR application can understand what the patient is saying, provide appropriate feedback, and assure a flow in the conversation through the different scenarios. An iterative mixed method, including system usability tests and follow-up interviews with clinical domain experts, was conducted to test this application’s usability and feasibility. First testing iterations’ System Usability Scale (SUS) results were positive and indicated concrete issues for improvement. Moreover, the final testing iteration delivered excellent results, showing the possibility of using a VR-supported self-help treatment for psychosis.Masteroppgave i Programutvikling samarbeid med HVLPROG399MAMN-PRO

Respiratory endurance training by means of a Spirotiger in extending intermittent claudication distance — a case study

According to Fontaine’s classification, intermittent claudication is a symptom of the 2nd stage of peripheralarterial occlusive disease. Intermittent claudication is described as muscle pain that occurs during walking. Patientsexperiencing it observe major reduction of exercise tolerance. Rehabilitation of patients with peripheral arterialocclusive disease uses many different training programs which lead to extension of intermittent claudicationdistance. Respiratory training is one of them and it is the training of the respiratory muscles that improves theirendurance, force, speed, coordination, and elasticity. Respiration therapy causes delayed metaboreflex, whichin turn the blood flow in lower limbs increases..We present a case of a patient who underwent percutaneous balloon angioplasty of iliac artery and then conductedrespiratory training by means of Spirotiger what resulted in further increase of claudication distance

Applied methods of exercise based therapy for the extension of walking distance in patients with intermittent claudication

Intermittent claudication, according to the Fontaine Classification Scale is a symptom of 2nd degree atherosclerosis of the arteries of the lower limbs. The process of atherosclerosis involves increased narrowing of the blood vessel lumina and their eventual closure. Patients with atherosclerosis often suffer bouts of muscular pain while walking which eventually leads to restricted mobility. The treatment of those affected by furring up of the arteries of the lower limbs includes intravascular procedures, insertion of balloon devices and stents and in severe cases of atherosclerosis surgical intervention is required. The more conservative areas of treatment involve pharmacotherapy, patient participation in educational training sessions, lifestyle changes and appropriate physiotherapy referrals. If applied early on, lifestyle changes such as smoking cessation, an improved diet, as well as targeted training can help avoid the need for surgical intervention. At the moment, the goal of mainstream physiotherapy in the treatment of peripheral artery disease is to determine the most appropriate forms of exercise which can increase the walking distance of patients with intermittent claudication, improve blood-flow in particular to the lower extremities as well as improve patients’ overall quality of life. The purpose of this study is to gather and analyse exercise strategies that result in increased walking distance in intermittent claudication. The best results have been observed in groups who teamed up ambulatory therapy with strength training; Nordic walking therapy along with strength training and finally walking training with upper body aerobic training on the cross-trainer. The variety of training combinations gives us the ability to cater for and accommodate individual patient needs

VR supported self-help treatment for adolescents with psychosis

Psychosis is a severe psychological condition that affects some people, including adolescents. Unfortunately, treating psychosis and psychotic disorders takes a long time. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and CBT for treating psychosis (CBTp) promise the most effective treatment; however, it is too long, considerably affects patients’ individual lives, and involves high individual costs. Using Virtual Reality (VR) technology, behavioral experiments in CBTp can be carried out during therapy sessions by exposing the patient to simulated social scenarios that they find challenging. This CBT-supported process promises improvements in increased patients’ experiences and allows patient gains in their regular lives. This report illustrates the development based on a VR-assisted treatment protocol currently being developed and clinically tested at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway, and the possibilities of a VR self-help application as a supplement to clinical sessions. Furthermore, patients will be able to perform different social-training exercises in familiar home conditions using the therapists’ defined guidelines prepared beforehand. This project application uses VR technology and speech recognition to reach this goal of self-help treatment. With the help of speech recognition, the VR application can understand what the patient is saying, provide appropriate feedback, and assure a flow in the conversation through the different scenarios. An iterative mixed method, including system usability tests and follow-up interviews with clinical domain experts, was conducted to test this application’s usability and feasibility. First testing iterations’ System Usability Scale (SUS) results were positive and indicated concrete issues for improvement. Moreover, the final testing iteration delivered excellent results, showing the possibility of using a VR-supported self-help treatment for psychosis. Psychosis is a severe psychological condition that affects some people, including adolescents. Unfortunately, treating psychosis and psychotic disorders takes a long time. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and CBT for treating psychosis (CBTp) promise the most effective treatment; however, it is too long, considerably affects patients’ individual lives, and involves high individual costs. Using Virtual Reality (VR) technology, behavioral experiments in CBTp can be carried out during therapy sessions by exposing the patient to simulated social scenarios that they find challenging. This CBT-supported process promises improvements in increased patients’ experiences and allows patient gains in their regular lives. This report illustrates the development based on a VR-assisted treatment protocol currently being developed and clinically tested at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway, and the possibilities of a VR self-help application as a supplement to clinical sessions. Furthermore, patients will be able to perform different social-training exercises in familiar home conditions using the therapists’ defined guidelines prepared beforehand. This research application uses VR technology and speech recognition to reach this goal of self-help treatment. With the help of speech recognition, the VR application can understand what the patient is saying, provide appropriate feedback, and assure a flow in the conversation through the different scenarios. An iterative mixed method, including system usability tests and follow-up interviews with clinical domain experts, was conducted to test this application’s usability and feasibility. First testing iterations’ System Usability Scale (SUS) results were positive and indicated concrete issues for improvement. Moreover, the final testing iteration delivered excellent results, showing the possibility of using a VR-supported self-help treatment for psychosis

THE INFLUENCE OF SELECTED FACTORS ON OXYGEN EFFICIENCY

Oxygen (aerobic) efficiency is one of the most important determinants of our physical ability, which in turn is the most significant aspect of the human body. Physical activity is very often connected with health and life long health care. The purpose of this article is to show how aerobic efficiency is affected by different lifestyles and predilections among groups selected by the researcher. This will enable the determination of those factors that influence oxygen efficiency. Purpose. The purpose of this research is to establish how aerobic efficiency, being the most important determinant of physical activity, presents in the chosen groups of respondents and how it is affected by various factors. Materials and methods. 30 respondents between the ages of 18 and 24 who study or work took part in the research. All of them claimed to pursue regular physical activity. Based on the interview with the respondents several subgroups were indicated: males, females, smokers, non-smokers, consumers of alcohol and non-drinkers.Results. Research conducted for the purpose of this manuscript enabled the evaluation of how oxygen efficiency presented in the different groups selected for the purpose of this study. Respondents who took part in the research varied based on gender and use of stimulants: Cigarettes reduce the Fitness Index (FI) rate. Males have a better FI rate than females. Alcohol does not reduce the FI rate. Those who smoke cigarettes have a lower oxygen efficiency rate then those drinking alcohol

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OF PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

A significant decrease in physical activity and a growing incidence of obesity are becoming problems of contemporary times, the economic and social costs of which we are bound to face. The systemic actions undertaken are aimed at creating space for physical activity and shaping health-oriented attitudes among children and young people. Promotion of health-oriented attitudes among children is one of the ways of preventing illnesses associated with lifestyle, and are also a significant factor influencing the condition of society and future generations. This study forms a preliminary evaluation of attitudes among primary school students in Lublin towards physical activity – its preferred forms and frequency. Moreover, the study presents a preliminary and general analysis of pain within the locomotor system in children. A survey in the form of a questionnaire was conducted in a primary school in Lublin among children at various stages of education. The questionnaire contained data about the children’s age and gender. Other questions concerned preferred forms of physical activity, its frequency and attitudes of schoolchildren to physical activity. The results obtained indicate that the majority (99%) of the children definitely like to undertake physical activity in various forms and they regard it as fun and an interesting way of spending free time. A significant share (51%) of the respondents reply that they undertake physical activity every day (apart from activities organized at school). However, the number of affirmative answers to the question about pain is worrying. The results obtained demonstrate quite a high level of physical activity among schoolchildren. However, the alarming results concerning incidences of pain (47%) point to the need for further indepth research on this area