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Introduction: Colonoscopy can cause psychological distress in patients, consequently discouraging patients from undergoing an unpleasant procedure or reducing compliance with follow-up examinations. This rapid review aimed to assess the feasibility and efficacy of Virtual Reality (VR) interventions during colonoscopy on patients' perceived psychological distress and procedure satisfaction.
Areas Covered: We searched PubMed, CINAHL, ProQuest/All Databases, and Cochrane Library databases on 1 December 2022, with a date limiter of 2002-2022 for articles that investigated the effect and feasibility of any type of immersive VR-based intervention on patients' pain, anxiety, discomfort, and procedure satisfaction immediately before, during, and/or post-procedure of colonoscopy.
Expert Opinion: Initially, 118 articles were identified, of which seven were eligible and included in this rapid review. Our findings demonstrate that VR interventions during colonoscopy were feasible, significantly reduced participant pain and anxiety, and significantly increased participant satisfaction with the procedure. VR interventions appear to be an effective alternative for patients who prefer to avoid analgetic medications or as an adjunct to routine sedation during colonoscopy. Directions of research design should focus on an optimized blinding process, using the high-end technology of 3-dimensional devices, considering an audiovisual distracting intervention, and designing multicenter and high-quality Randomized Controlled Trials.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17474124.2023.2279177 | DOI Listing |
JAMA Netw Open
September 2025
Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.
Importance: Patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRDs) frequently experience psychological distress; however, access to psychological support remains limited.
Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of a digital psychological intervention for individuals with IRDs.
Design, Setting, And Participants: Participants aged 18 years or older were recruited across Germany between February 22 and June 4, 2024, if they had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, or systemic lupus erythematosus and reported psychological distress and reduced quality of life.
J Neurol
September 2025
Multiple Sclerosis Center, Sheba Medical Center, Derech Sheba 2, Tel Hashomer, Israel.
Introduction: Psychological stress has been proposed as a trigger for disease activity in multiple sclerosis (MS), but findings have been inconsistent. While prior research has focused largely on chronic stressors, little is known about how people with MS (pwMS) cope with acute, large-scale stress events such as war.
Objective: Examine the effects of wartime stress following the October 7, 2023 attack on disease activity in pwMS, and to assess whether emotional factors are associated with relapse risk during this period.
Int J Soc Psychiatry
September 2025
Department of Psychiatry, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Background: Climate distress is a psychological reaction to adverse weather events and climate change. These events can increase people's vulnerability to develop psychiatric disorders like anxiety, depression, and PTSD particularly in disaster-prone regions like India.
Aim: To explore the relationship between climate distress and psychological impact with a particular emphasis on women, elderly, and other at risk populations who owing to their health vulnerabilities, lack of resources or social roles that make them dependent on others, experience stress in the face of climate change.
Cureus
September 2025
Pediatrics, University of Nevada Reno School of Medicine, Reno, USA.
Goldenhar syndrome, a rare congenital condition, often presents with physical anomalies due to abnormal development of the first and second branchial arches, leading to facial and auricular malformations. However, the mental health challenges associated with this syndrome are often overlooked. This report describes the case of a 14-year-old Latino/Hispanic male child with Goldenhar syndrome and limited verbal communication, highlighting the complexities of managing both physical and psychological aspects of care after establishing follow-up with a pediatrician.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJAACAP Open
September 2025
University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Objective: Psychological distress (eg, anxiety and depression) during pregnancy can disrupt fetal brain development and negatively affect infant behavior. Prenatal distress rose substantially during the COVID-19 pandemic according to most, but not all, studies, raising concerns about its potential effects on brain connectivity and behavior in infants.
Method: We investigated 63 mother-infant pairs as part of the Pregnancy during the COVID-19 Pandemic study.