ExPhobia: A mHealth Technology based on Augmented Reality for Support the Treatment of Arachnophobic Stimulus Fabiana Neiva Veloso Brasileiro 1 , Tauily Claussen D’Escragnolle Taunay 2 , José Eurico de Vasconcelos Filho 3 , Manuela Melo Santana 2 and Ântonio Plínio Feitosa Bastos 3 1 Laboratório de Investigações em Análise do Comportamento, Universidade de Fortaleza, Ave. Washington Soares, Fortaleza-CE, Brazil 2 Graduação em Psicologia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade de Fortaleza, Ave. Washington Soares, Fortaleza-CE, Brazil 3 Núcleo de Aplicação em Tecnologia da Informação, Universidade de Fortaleza, Ave. Washington Soares, Fortaleza-CE, Brazil Keywords: Arachnophobia, Augmented Reality, Systematic Desensitization, mHealth. Abstract: Anxiety disorders attack a significant part of the population and have been treated, mainly, by pharmaceuticals or psychotherapies. Augmented Reality technologies have gotten some space in the treatment of these diseases, with promising results. The current paper presents the prototype ExPhobia that holds concepts and tools from the mHealth and Augmented Reality areas for the support to the facing of arachnophobia. We have as a main goal the development and the performing of the initial tests of ExPhobia for the systemic desensitization on levels of anxiety and escape/dodge in people with arachnophobia. The used methodology for the development of ExPhobia contemplates a laboratorial phase for the conception of this functional prototype, supported by the stages of the interaction design and, after the initial tests, the program is being planned in a way that a research in a method almost experimental can be done, with only one individual, applying the ABA designing. For measuring the levels of anxiety and phobia of the participants in scales, inventories and questionings, in addition to the heart frequency measuring. It is a hypothesis that can be used in the Augmented Reality as a technique of systematic desensitization, from an analytic-behavioral perspective, the positive and viable results for the treatment of specific phobias. 1 INTRODUCTION Anxiety disorders, based on DSM-V (APA, 2013), are differentiated from adaptive anxiety or fear because they persist beyond normal time and are excessive, in other words, disproportionate to reality, occurring with a frequency greater than expected and often compromising the quality of life of the individual. Phobias are considered a type of anxiety disorder and one of its subdivisions includes specific phobias, among them arachnophobia, which is the object of study of this work and corresponds to the disproportionate and excessive fear of spiders. According to Zaminagni and Banaco (2005) and with most of the current literature on the subject, from an analytic-behavioral perspective, the behavioral pattern characteristic of anxiety disorders is phobic avoidance, that is, the individual will emit a response that softens, defer or eliminate (escape / dodge) an aversive event, that is, a threatening or uncomfortable event. Treatment for anxiety is usually performed with psychological, pharmacological or both intervene- tions, but drug use is not always necessary (Haydu et al., 2014). Within psychology, some techniques can be used so that anxiety disorder or, more specifically, exacerbated and irrational fear (phobia), can be minimized or eliminated. Among the possible strategies, systematic desensitization (SD) is a very effective procedure for the treatment of specific phobias. It has been proven in several studies, such as those shown in the literature review by Turner (Caballo, 1996). Technological advances have provided new possibilities and benefits in the use of high technology in the field of mental health (MH), contributing favourably to new forms of interaction (Wrzesien et al., 2013). Among the developed 474 Brasileiro, F., Taunay, T., Filho, J., Santana, M. and Bastos, Â. ExPhobia: A mHealth Technology based on Augmented Reality for Support the Treatment of Arachnophobic Stimulus. DOI: 10.5220/0007580604740480 In Proceedings of the 12th International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies (BIOSTEC 2019), pages 474-480 ISBN: 978-989-758-353-7 Copyright c  2019 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved