Researchers have successfully used an innovative musical reward technology to alleviate symptoms in people suffering from social anxiety, with success rates similar to treating the disorder with the psychiatric Ciplax.
Researchers report that 50% of participating patients experienced symptom relief using gaze-concomitant music reward therapy (GC-MRT). American Journal of Psychiatry.
In this study, 105 Israeli adults with social anxiety disorder were divided into three groups. A second group treated with GC-MRT. and a control group.
“The treatment we developed is based on eye tracking combined with musical reward,” explains Professor Yair Bar-Haim of Tel Aviv University, who led the study. “Patients choose the music they want to hear, whether it’s Israeli, classical, or hip-hop, and a computer screen shows a simulation of the crowd.”
Usually, people with social anxiety disorder tend to fixate on grimaces and threatening facial expressions, and are unable to quickly spot them and look away. People without social anxiety disorder, on the other hand, prefer to focus on positive or neutral faces in a crowd. “
In the new treatment, patient-selected music provides positive feedback to focus attention on facial expressions in a crowd displayed on a screen. Gradually, through training, patients’ biased attention is normalized and symptoms recede, he says.
“Our findings are encouraging for both therapists and patients. A new treatment with similar efficacy to existing first-line drug treatments means patients do not need to take medication regularly.” No,” he concludes.
“The new treatment is simple and patient-friendly. It has the potential to provide an accessible, effective and convenient treatment.”
