RESUMO
Anxiety disorders are among the most frequent psychiatric disorders. According to national and international guidelines, psychopharmacological as well as psychotherapeutic approaches are recommended as first-choice treatments, depending on diagnosis and severity. Among psychotherapeutic approaches, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been investigated most. Here, exposure is of special relevance as the core element of treatment. The technology of virtual reality (VR) has been increasingly investigated as a possible add-on strategy or alternative to conventional exposure therapy. Numerous studies of VR exposure for anxiety disorders have been published. Further, the comparison of exposure treatment in vivo vs. in VR has been investigated in meta-analyses. The results are promising overall, however they do not yet justify a general recommendation of this treatment. There is still the need for more research, especially regarding treatment efficacy in large-scale studies with larger patient samples.