# Innovative Approaches to Eating Disorders Treatment:
## 5 Conclusions  
The studies analyzed in this review suggest that VR has potential as a tool for treating ED. Most studies reported improvements in various ED-related aspects among participants, and some showed that VR-based interventions were more effective than non-VR treatments. Overall, VR was well accepted by participants, who did not perceive it as difficult to use. VR could potentially increase patient engagement by reducing dropouts due to boredom or fatigue and eliminating barriers such as distance or the need for participants and facilitators to be in the same location. Additionally, VR is often perceived as a safer environment than real-life settings, which may encourage patients to engage more readily in exposure therapy. Furthermore, the capability of VR to be personalized for each person could benefit patients by allowing them to work with personally significant stimuli and information. The option of using eye-tracking in a 3D realistic environment provides direct information to the therapist about variables that affect EDs but are not easily detectable by other techniques. Moreover, VR interventions can potentially reduce healthcare costs by decreasing the need for in-person visits and enabling remote therapy. This eliminates the need to move around to practice in different meaningful environments, such as a public swimming pool, a kitchen, or a fitting room, or have a wide range of stimuli for the practice, -such as a great amount of pizza, candies, or people observing. VR interventions also have the potential to reduce dropout rates, reducing the need for repeated treatments and lowering overall healthcare costs. However, several challenges remain. The lack of large sample sizes, the absence of control groups in some studies, and the limited follow-up assessments make it difficult to determine whether the benefits are maintained over time and whether VR is truly more effective than other interventions. The current panorama allows us to easily be in contact with any part of the world, and searching for entities or groups of researchers willing to collaborate by providing more participants is an option that currently exists and is relatively easy to carry out. A control group with a sham VR intervention and a control group with the classic usual treatment would help discern whether the results are similar to those of usual treatment or whether they have a greater effect than a neutral situation in VR. Future research should focus on larger sample sizes, include control groups, and conduct long-term follow-ups to verify the effectiveness of VR-based interventions. Moreover, it is essential to develop more personalized VR treatments that address the specific needs of each patient and cover a broader range of therapeutic aspects. Finally, some ethical considerations must be taken into account when using VR in therapy. VR platforms often collect sensitive personal information and health data, so it is important to have software that ensures privacy and does not collect patient data for activities other than the therapy itself. Ensuring robust encryption protocols, secure storage systems, and strict access controls is essential to protect patient privacy. VR has a certain initial cost that can still be considered high. Access to VR technology may be limited for certain populations due to socioeconomic factors or disabilities, potentially exacerbating health inequalities. Efforts should be made to make VR solutions accessible and inclusive. The immersive nature of VR can lead to intense emotional and psychological experiences. While this can be beneficial for therapy, it also poses risks, such as increased anxiety or distress. Careful monitoring and providing appropriate support and debriefing are crucial.