Traditional treatment of specific phobias is being complemented by the use of new technologies such as virtual reality or augmented reality, which have had an important development during recent years.

Apart from the previous systems, new telepsychology systems have been developed, some of them are quite new but are also proving to be useful. Among these systems, our research group has developed a mobile device that aims to integrate the treatment of specific phobias, specifically the fear to cockroaches.

This device has a built-in game with different scenarios where the cockroaches breed. On one side there are three scenarios incorporated into the mobile phone, which include the image of a pair of trainers (which cover the feet completely), the image of a pair of sandals (which leave the feet uncovered), and finally a hand. In each of them cockroaches may appear. They might vary in number, size and condition (dead or alive), so that the patient can be exposed to each of these situations in a playful context that will require to follow few guidelines in order to progress in the game.

The order of the exhibition will be done in a gradual way, according to the hierarchy that patient and therapist have previously established during the session. Since this is a self-administered system, the patient will operate the mobile device during the required time needed for the exposure to be completed.

On the other hand, there are the scenarios through which, using the mobile phone camera, the patient will see cockroaches set in the patient’s real settings (eg, personal objects, places at home or their own body).

Preliminary data show that the stimuli displayed on the mobile are valued by patients with great realism. In addition, these scenarios activate the patient's anxiety. Finally, pre and post-treatment show changes in fear and avoidance of feared situations by the patient.

Future lines of research aim to have mobile devices available to be used at different times during the development of the research, and also to continue testing its effectiveness.