New wearable device may improve PTSD treatment experience: study

Researchers have developed a wristwatch-like wearable device to enhance the effects of prolonged exposure therapy, a common and evidence-based treatment for patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

As a wearable device, called Bio Ware, the Bio Ware system includes a discreet button-shaped camera attached to the patient’s clothing, a watch-sized tool around their wrist, and a Bluetooth headset in their ear, so his therapists can be with him virtually. in the experience or situation that stresses them, according to the study.

The clinician can see immediate recordings of the patient’s heart rate, breathing, and emotional distress, and can guide them through the experience by pushing them to do more or pulling them back to do less , to optimize exposure in vivo, according to the study. .

The team of researchers from 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 provide the triggers that bring someone with PTSD back to the scarred scene they are trying to forget.

With PTSD, a honk, a crowded cafe, or a strong smell can bring back traumatic memories that can increase heart rate, increase muscle tension, and lead to anxiety and depression. These reactions occur even in the absence of danger, but they pose their own threat by causing strain in relationships at home and at work, triggering the need to avoid certain situations, and contributing to mood swings.

According to the US National Institutes of Health, PTSD can affect anyone at any age, and treatment options include medication as well as therapy.

And with between 11 and 30 percent of veterans showing symptoms of PTSD, the research team considered using Bio Ware with service members at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) , United States, in particular.

With in vivo exposures, which are a key part of prolonged exposure therapy, patients are instructed to put themselves in safe but uncomfortable or triggering situations outside of their therapy sessions, as a form of homework.

If they’re afraid of crowded spaces, for example, their therapist might ask them to go grocery shopping at a busy hour and then share their reaction in the next therapy session. If the service member is stressed by noisy spaces and avoids them, their therapist may send them to a noisy sporting event, for example, in an effort to help them learn to feel more comfortable in these situations. and not having to avoid them in the future. .

When done correctly, in vivo exposures have been shown to be effective and helpful for patients, but considering that the patient and their interpretation of their own stressors are so patient-dependent, Sudie Back, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry of MUSC Health and principal investigator for the NIMH-funded study, sees room for error.

“What I find so exciting about this new Bio Ware device is that when used with evidence-based exposure treatment methods for PTSD, we have seen significantly better results for our patients,” Back said.

Back and his team found a significant decrease in symptoms of PTSD and depression in their patients who used the new technology, according to the study.

According to Back, “This is the first time, to my knowledge, that we have been able to virtually walk patients through their in vivo exposures and have instant access to their physiological data at the time to really help them get the most out of it. left”. of these exercises, which I believe will result in a significant reduction in their PTSD symptoms.”

Bill Harley, the co-founder and CEO of Zeriscope, compares it to working out alone versus a personal trainer.

“Communicating with patients while simultaneously seeing their biophysics is incredibly helpful,” he said. “A lot of healing happens in in vivo exposures, and Bio Ware enriches that experience.

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