Virtual reality headsets tested to soothe ECT jitters
NCT ID NCT07546526
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether using a virtual reality (VR) relaxation session can lower anxiety in people about to receive electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Twenty adults already receiving ECT for depression will try VR relaxation, breathing exercises, or no extra relaxation. Researchers will measure anxiety and stress levels before and after each session to see if VR helps more than the other options.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
-
About 20 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Mar 2026
- Expected to finish
-
Dec 2032
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
18 to 75 years
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18-75 years * Being treated with ECT, having had at least two sessions at study start * Able to understand study procedure and sign informed consent * Speaking Dutch or French * DSM-5 diagnosis of a depressive disorder, for which ECT treatment has been initiated Exclusion Criteria: \- Contra-indications for VR: photosensitive epilepsy, severe travel sickness, vertigo, open wounds on the face
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Depressive disorder are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
-
A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
University Hospital Brussels
Brussels, 1090, Belgium
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can brisk walking boost antidepressant results?
- Can a Brain-Signaling drug crack depression that resists standard treatment?
- Three questions may be enough to spot depression before surgery
- Can a gut supplement ease anxiety and depression in obesity?
- Can brain activity reveal why some people with depression lose motivation and pleasure?
- Can a brain zapping technique and online therapy fix sleep in depressed teens?