Virtual reality has been introduced in recent years and is becoming more and more common within retail and now as a method of treatment. Virtual reality comes with a pair of Googles and is an immersive experience that anyone and everyone can have a go at. From learning to play the piano to feeling like you’re in an alternative reality, you might not have wondered how this tool could be used to treat those with mental health problems.
While this is still a relatively new concept and treatment when it comes to the world of medicine. When used correctly, computer-simulated worlds immerse users in the digital environment, have a positive impact on their overall mental health, and offer an alternative holistic treatment for multiple mental health conditions.
Let’s dive into the details of the wonders of virtual reality therapy, including how it works, what conditions it may be most effective for, and where to get things started.
What Is Virtual Reality Therapy?
Healthcare professionals have explained that virtual reality therapy (VTR) is different from teletherapy. VRT focuses more on the virtual world and it is important to note that you can't sit in your room with a VR headset on and say it is therapy; for it to be classified as VTR, it needs to be monitored by a licensed therapist.
VTR typically involves a head-mounted display that blocks out any visual aspects of your surroundings and essentially immerses you in a fantasy-simulated reality. You will have the ability to be interested in the environment through controllers. Your therapist will be able to adjust the simulation to improve the mental state of the patient.
This therapy could work with many conditions, such as phobias. Exposing patients slowly to virtual reality could be one of the stepping stones to clearing their mental state from unthreatening phobias. This moves me to my next point.
How VRT Contributes To Better Mental Health
Exposure Therapy
One of the main focuses of virtual reality therapy is the ability to create safe and controlled environments to help individuals through things like post-traumatic stress, phobias, and any other anxieties they might struggle with, as briefly mentioned above. Another example could be VRT, which could simulate scenarios such as flying, public speaking, or even combat situations. If only this therapy was available for The King's Speech, then that story could have been a lot different. This exposes people to these scenarios and reduces symptoms of anxiety and PTSD.
This personalised approach is more personalised and practical; therefore, it’s adjusted to the patient’s specific needs, which could make this treatment faster and more effective in the long term, preventing relapses.
Specific Mental Health Conditions
VRT is a holistic and recent method of treating specific mental health conditions and goes beyond conventional methods in general. Things such as specific anxieties, PTSD, and the craziest phobias can be simulated to treat patients. Before VRT, there are treatments in the form of talking therapy, real-life exposure (for conditions), and medications. With the evolution of technology, they can refine and modify simulations and get to those nitty-gritty parts of individuals' conditions without putting them at any physical risk.
According to research by Rizzo et al. (2019), VRT used on veterans was extremely helpful in reducing PTSD symptoms after they had served their country.
Another study by Oxford VR (2020) found that VRT has shown great progress in treating individuals with social anxiety disorder. The finding suggests that VRT can effectively recreate natural and normal scenarios that are hard to achieve through acting. This has helped individuals receive adequate treatment and after the effects of COVID-19 on developing teenagers and the excessive use of mobile phones, VRT has never before been a more desirable method of treatment.
General Mental Health & Wellness
If VRT has proven effective with specific and serious conditions where traditional therapy might not be enough, that's where virtual reality therapy comes in, and its application to general mental health and wellness has been extremely effective. VRT can create environments that are extremely calming and soothing to the individual, to the point where it’s like a mini holiday break without having to get on a plane and go somewhere.
Researchers in New Zealand conducted a study using virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET), which has significantly reduced anxiety and depression among patients. While it’s important to note that VRET isn’t the sole solution to everything, other actions need to be taken to work hand in hand. It’s not something that patients should rely on as a boost of serotonin, but lifestyle changes also need to happen; therefore, there should be no excessive drinking, smoking, or other actions that could contribute to their anxiety and depression.
Healthier alternatives are needed for both general and specific mental conditions that complement the VRT treatments, such as choosing velo, non-alcoholic, and getting into fitness, which could make the journey to recovery easier and improve your mental health at a much quicker rate.
Alleviating Social Anxiety
VRT is currently being used in Japan to address the concerns with rates of social anxiety and with its testing it has shown practical and promising results in those wishing to reduce their levels of social anxiety and improve their social skills.
The Future Of VR Therapy
Despite the potential challenges such as cost, limited availability for patients, and privacy complications, these are all [problems that can be fixed and the future of this treatment is looking very promising.
As technology advances at a quicker rate than ever before, it won't be long until virtual reality headsets become more widely available. Even more recently, people have been seen walking the streets and hopping on public transport with them; it’s like an episode of Black Mirror. Either way, it has the power to alleviate some stress on the healthcare sector and completely transform how patients with mental disorders are treated.
Some healthcare providers suggest that VRT is coming to be the new standard form of treatment. Furthermore, ongoing research suggests that it could go as far as to treat things such as eating disorders, substance abuse, and OCD. This therapy offers a safe space for patients who are going through a lot and is a good alternative to medication and face-to-face interactions.
Virtual reality therapy can be used alongside other treatments to enhance overall effectiveness and hopefully prevent any relapses. This could be a long-term treatment for some people and with accessibility growing, this could be possible shortly.
The future of VRT is promising, with the potential to completely transform mental health treatments. Using technology to positively impact mental health can come with concerns but with its progress in areas such as phobias and PTSD, there is a lot of hope for this method to slowly replace relying on medication and other forms of therapy and hopefully, we will begin to see a mentally well future for those who have experienced difficulties with their day-to-day.
Final Thoughts
Virtual reality therapy has created huge leaps and bounds in the mental health sector, with great promises for the future. While concerns such as cost and privacy need to be addressed, these issues are easily fixed, and as technology advances, we should expect to see VRT a lot more shortly, which is exciting for not only patients but for health care professionals.
