Virtual Reality treatment in post traumatic stress disorder

Virtual reality as part of exposure therapy has shown to be effective in treating men and women for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Emory University researcher Dr. Barbara Rothbaum, director of the trauma and anxiety recovery program in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, used virtual reality to expose Vietnam War vets to a clip that simulated the Vietnam War. As the small-scale study yelded encouraging results, Dr. Rothbaum has begun to test the approach with current Iraqi War veterans.

 

In the study, veternas used a head-mounted display and experienced a virtual Vietnam War clip (J. Clin. Psychiatry, in press). To more closely simulate actual combat, each of the veterans stood or sat on a platform above a vibrating speaker during the therapy session. According to Dr. Rothbaum, patients showed consistent improvements.