A recent clinical trial conducted at Tel Aviv University has demonstrated an efficient technology-driven alternative to psychiatric medications for individuals with social anxiety. The groundbreaking study found that GC-MART (Gaze-Contingent Music Reward Therapy) is as effective in treating social anxiety disorder as drugs from the SSRI family. The study found that the revolutionary treatment, developed at TAU, relieved the symptoms of about 50% of the participating patients. The researchers hope that this therapy will soon be available as an efficient alternative to psychiatric medications.
The study was led by Prof. Yair Bar-Haim, Director of the Adler Center for Child Development and Psychopathology, and of the Center for Traumatic Stress and Resilience at Tel Aviv University, along with research students Gal Arad and Omer Azriel from the School of Psychological Sciences at Tel Aviv University. Other collaborators included the NIH, the Tel Aviv Sourasky (Ichilov) and Sheba Medical Centers, and Prof. Amit Lazarov of TAU. The paper was published in the celebrated American Journal of Psychiatry.
Prof. Bar-Haim explains: “About 4-12% of the population will develop social anxiety disorder at some stage of their lives. Very often, individuals with this disorder avoid social situations – at a heavy interpersonal, skilled, and economic price. At present, psychiatry and psychology offer victims two sorts of treatment: SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) drugs, corresponding to Cipralex, and CBT (Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy). CBT requires 12-20 sessions with a certified clinical psychologist, during which symptoms are relieved through gradual exposure to the explanation for anxiety. Thus, while effective, CBT is a posh treatment necessitating the presence of a highly expert therapist and requiring patients to face their deepest fears, a requirement that usually results in treatment dropout.
“Because CBT is demanding, expensive, and never readily accessible, many patients turn to medication. Nevertheless, psychiatric drugs like Cipralex have their very own drawbacks: first, some patients prefer not to make use of psychiatric drugs; second, entire populations, corresponding to young children, pregnant women, and individuals with specific diseases, cannot take SSRI drugs; and third, in some cases the drug has certain uncomfortable side effects.”
Now, researchers from TAU have developed a 3rd option, which is easy-to-use, quick and straightforward, and apparently no less effective than psychiatric drugs. Furthermore, because the treatment is very patient-friendly, a much lower dropout rate could also be expected. Within the clinical trial, 105 Israeli adults with social anxiety disorder were assigned into three groups: one group was treated with SSRI drugs, on this case Cipralex; a second group was treated with GC-MART; and a control group. After ten 30-minute training sessions, about 50% of the patients supplied with the brand new therapy demonstrated significant improvement of their symptoms – a result just like the final result reported for patients who took Cipralex.
The therapy we developed relies on eye-tracking combined with a musical reward. The patients select the music they would really like to listen to – Israeli, classical, hip hop, etc., and is shown a simulation of a crowd on a pc screen. Normally, individuals with social anxiety disorder are likely to dwell on scowling or threatening facial expressions, quickly picking them out and unable to look away. Consequently, they often interpret the gang or social situations as hostile, negative, or critical. People without social anxiety disorder, however, prefer to concentrate on positive or neutral faces in a crowd. In the brand new therapy, the music chosen by the patient provides positive feedback for a standard focus of attention on facial expressions in the gang presented on the screen. Progressively, through training, patients’ biased attention is normalized, and symptoms recede. All participants in our trial underwent a comprehensive clinical assessment each before and after the treatment and were also asked to report on the symptoms and their severity. Results indicated that the brand new treatment significantly reduced symptoms of social anxiety, with an efficacy that is analogous to that of SSRI drugs.”
Prof. Yair Bar-Haim, Director of the Adler Center for Child Development and Psychopathology, and of the Center for Traumatic Stress and Resilience at Tel Aviv University
Prof. Bar-Haim concludes: “Our findings are encouraging for each therapists and patients. With efficacy just like that of an existing first line drug treatment, the brand new treatment doesn’t require the patient to take medications frequently. The brand new treatment is easy and patient-friendly. It doesn’t necessitate the prolonged intervention of a highly expert psychologist, but reasonably interaction with social images on a screen, and due to this fact potentially offers accessible, effective, and convenient treatment for social anxiety disorder.”
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Journal reference:
Arad, G., et al. (2023). Attention Bias Modification Treatment Versus a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Or Waiting List Control for Social Anxiety Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial. American Journal of Psychiatry. doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.20220533.