 VR exposure therapy is the predominant method for treatment of anxiety conditions. Specifically phobias such as agoraphobia and fear of flying and heights, but continues to expand to more diverse anxiety-related disorders including social anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and panic disorder. In addition, more complex VR-based cognitive behavioral therapies (VR-CBTs) have emerged. 

Application of VR interventions: Anxiety disorders


VR has been used as a tool for cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), cognitive remediation, improving job interview skills and social skills. VR-CBT has proven to be effective in reducing paranoia and anxiety in daily life. Furthermore, a social cognition training has been developed with different VR modules on emotion recognition, theory of mind using preprogrammed dialogs, and a social interaction module in which patients interact with avatars (controlled by the therapist by using a speech scrambler). This training is linked with improved emotion recognition. 



Application of VR interventions: Psychotic disorders

VR treatment has been investigated for a range of substance disorders, such as nicotine dependence, alcohol dependence, gambling disorder, and Internet gaming disorder. VR interventions use virtual environments for cue exposure for smoking and methamphetamine addiction, as well as approach and avoidance exercises for alcohol dependence 

Application of VR interventions: Substance use disorders

Sessions of psychoeducation combined with VR-based relaxation, for which VR can be of added value as it requires less effort than traditional relaxation exercises and removes distractions. VR self-compassion exercises using the relatively novel technique of changing perspective is also utilized to alleviate depressive symptoms and facilitate empathy for oneself and others. 

Application of VR interventions: Depression

A systematic review on eating disorders showed that VR interventions mainly concern exposure to food and work on body image such as exposure to body shapes and embodiment of a healthy body. VR techniques may add to standard CBT as they decrease negative emotional responses to food stimuli and enable exposure to body shape. 

Application of VR interventions: Eating disorders

Add reference nodes for VR Applications in Mental Health here.

References for Virtual Reality (VR) Applications in Mental Health

-	Anxiety disorders 
-	Psychotic disorders 
-	Substance-related disorders 
-	Eating disorders 
-	Depression

Syracuse University

Immersive virtual reality (VR) has been identified as a potentially revolutionary tool for psychological treatment of mental disorders. Interacting with the virtual surrounding, VR simulations can trigger emotional, psychological, and physical reactions, such as anxiety, sweating, or joy, similar to reactions in real life. This immersive characteristic of VR simulations, makes it a powerful tool for therapy.

VR interventions: Treatment of psychological disorders

Geraets, Chris N. W. (10/01/2021). "Advances in immersive virtual reality interventions for mental disorders: A new reality?". Advances in immersive virtual reality interventions for mental disorders: A new reality? (2352-2518), 41 , p. 40.

Advances in immersive virtual reality interventions for mental disorders: A new reality?

VR applications for mental health



VR research is likely to increase the understanding of mechanisms of psychopathology and provide opportunities for improvement of psychological interventions. Used to test proposed learning mechanisms, ex. anxiety such as deepened extinction, occasional reinforced extinction, and context variation, or ex. experimental exposure to neutral social situations in VR, participants experienced more paranoid ideations in a neutral VR social environment after undergoing a manipulation to decrease self-confidence as compared with a high-confidence manipulation. 

Learn Before

Related

Learn After