The Benefits of Virtual Reality in Mental Health

VR started as a technology used by the military and aviators for simulation and training (Wiederhold & Wiederhold, 1998), later being developed as a technology for entertainment. Afterwards, VR entered the world of psychology, medicine, and education.VR has been used in psychology over the past 25 years. Since the first studies, researchers have seen the potential of VR, and the need for further development to obtain more significant results.Today VR equipment has evolved, and contains virtual environments and avatars. Its diffusion has caused the price of Virtual Reality to drop significantly, until it could be considered an accessible-to-all technology.

What does VR provide in psychology compared to traditional methods?

Thanks to VR immersion (quality of multisensory stimulation) and interaction the person feels physically inside virtual environments.Virtual reality allows the therapist to apply the techniques of exposure, systematic desensitization, diaphragmatic breathing, muscle relaxation, visualization/imagery, mindfulness and EMDR without the need to use imagination or leave the therapist’s office for in vivo exposure.This greatly reduces the effort for the patients, increasing their disposition to therapy and increasing therapeutic adherence.With virtual reality environments the therapist can set different variables in order to control and adapt the intervention to the needs of each patient. Also, allowing you to repeat certain conditions as many times as necessary to work on a therapeutic goal.Like in vivo exposure techniques, virtual reality exposure has proven to be more effective than imagination, and allows the therapist to treat more patients and in less time.

Greater feasibility with RV

The use of VR in psychology has proven to be profitable because it reduces the costs and is more practical by eliminating in vivo exposure. There is no need to go to other places since everything is in the therapist’s office.

Amelia Virtual Care Virtual Reality

In Amelia Virtual Care we develop VR for mental health intervention providing more than 70 adaptable virtual environments according to the needs of each patient and therapist.Our VR solution is based on validated scientific studies and the clinical experience of mental health professionals.

Bibliography

Wiederhold BK. & Wiederhold MD. (1998) A Review of Virtual Reality as a Psychotherapeutic Tool. CyberPsychology & Behavior. January 1998, Vol. 1, No. 1: 45-52.

Marples-Keller J. L., Bunnell Brian. E., Kim Sae-Jin, Rothbaum Barbara O. (2017). The use of virtual reality technology in the treatment of anxiety and other psychiatric disorders. Harvard Review of Psychiatry.

Difede J., Cukor J., Jayasinghe N., Patt I., Jedel S., Spielman L., Giosan C., Hoffman H. G. (2007). Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for the treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder following September 11, 2001. J. Clin Psychiatry 68:1639–1647

Gorini A., Riva G. (2008). Virtual reality in anxiety disorders: the past and the future. Expert Rev. Neurotherapeutics 8(2), 215–233

Rus-Calafell M., Gutiérrez-Maldonado J., Ribas-Sabaté J. (2014). A virtual reality-integrated program for improving social skills in patients with schizophrenia: A pilot study. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry. 45. 81-89.

Saiano M., Pellegrino L., Summa S., Garbarino E., Rossi V., Dall’Agata D., Sanguineti V. (2015). Natural interfaces and virtual environments for the acquisition of street crossing and path following skills in adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders: a feasibility study. Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation. 12:17.

Aresti-Bartolome N., Garcia-Zapirain B. (2014). Technologies as Support Tools for Persons with Autistic Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 11, 7767-7802.

Bellani M., Fornasari L., Chittaro L., Brambilla P. (2011). Virtual reality in autism: state of the art. Cambridge University Press.

Opris, D., Pintea, S., García-Palacios, A., Botella, C., Szamosköki, S. (2012). Depression and Anxiety, 29, 85-93. But also, recent studies suggest that, in chronic patients, the number of dropouts is much lower than using conventional studies.

Peñate-Castro, W., Roca Sánchez, M.J., Pitti-González, C.T., Bethencourt, J.M., de la Fuente- Portero, J.A., Garcia-Marco (2014). Cognitive-behavioral treatment and antidepressants combined with virtual reality exposure for patients with chronic agoraphobia. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 14, 9-17.

Amanda A. Benbow, Page L. Anderson (2019). A meta-analytic examination of attrition in virtual reality exposure therapy for anxiety disorders. Journal of Anxiety Disorders 61, 18-26.

Helene S. Wallach, Marilyn Phyllis Safir and Margalit Bar-Zvi (2009). Virtual Reality Cognitive Behavior Therapy for public speaking anxiety: A randomized clinical trial. Sage Publications, Vol 33, N 3, 314-338.Fernandez, E., Salem, D., Swift, J. K., & Ramtahal, N. (2015). Meta-analysis of dropout from cognitive behavioral therapy: Magnitude, timing, and moderators. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 83(6), 1108-1122.

Morina N., Ijntema H., Meyerbröker K., Emmelkamp P. M.G. (2015). Can virtual reality exposure therapy gains be generalized to real-life? A meta-analysis of studies applying behavioral assessments. Behaviour Research and Therapy. 74. 18-24.

Swift, J. K., & Greenberg, R. P. (2014). A Treatment by disorder meta-analysis of dropout from Psychotherapy. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 24(3), 193–207.

Fernandez, E., Salem, D., Swift, J. K., & Ramtahal, N. (2015). Meta-analysis of dropout from cognitive behavioral therapy: Magnitude, timing, and moderators. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 83(6), 1108-1122.