The Use of Virtual Reality in Psychiatry: A Review

Abstract

With the advancement in modern information technology, virtual reality (VR) is being increasingly used for the diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of mental disorders. Recently, a VR-based cognitive behavioral therapy for social phobia has been recognized as a new medical technology in South Korea. This might lead to an increase in the use of VR in the field of psychiatry. The present review provides an overview of the status of VR therapies in various psychiatric conditions such as anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, psychosis, addiction, and eating disorder. Besides, it summarizes the role of VR therapy in the management of disorders associated with child and adolescence psychiatry as well as various other clinical applications. Additionally, we discuss the merits and limitations of VR therapy, which might serve as a useful reference for researchers. In the current environment wherein novel medical models consisting of a combination of digital devices and medicine are being developed; understanding new technologies such as VR could open new doors to mental health treatments.

A Review of Cognitive and Behavioral Interventions for Tic Disorder

“…Notably, despite their efficacy and utility, traditional face-to-face behavioral interventions have some barriers such as high cost, the shortage of counseling professionals, and restricted implementation of intensive therapies [ 37 , 86 ]. Due to the recent advancements in information technology, internet-based electronic devices are being actively adopted in the assessment and treatment of psychiatric disorders [ 86 ].…”

“…Notably, despite their efficacy and utility, traditional face-to-face behavioral interventions have some barriers such as high cost, the shortage of counseling professionals, and restricted implementation of intensive therapies [ 37 , 86 ]. Due to the recent advancements in information technology, internet-based electronic devices are being actively adopted in the assessment and treatment of psychiatric disorders [ 86 ]. For example, virtual-reality (VR), which is a computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional environment in which one can interact in a seemingly real way [ 87 ], is being implemented and proving its benefits in multiple psychiatric disorders such as anxiety disorder, post-traumatic disorder, and psychosis; it is also showing benefits in pediatric psychiatry for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder [ 87 , 88 ].…”

Is Virtual Reality Cue Exposure a Promising Adjunctive Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder?

“…The latest developments in mental healthcare seem to hail a fast-approaching cyber revolution, giving rise to novel opportunities within existing treatment options, with immersive virtual technology at the very forefront of expected change. As a powerful tool enhancing learning and behavior modification, virtual reality (VR) shows definite promise as an add-on to conventional clinical management of an entire array of mental health problems [1][2][3]. A commonly echoed advantage of immersive virtual technologies over the standard clinical approaches is their ability to far more closely mimic real-life settings, mostly due to their lack of limitations in the delivery of external cues or creation of interactive computer-generated worlds.…”

Virtual reality hypnosis improves sleep quality of first-line medical staff responding to COVID-19

“…Virtual reality (VR) is a computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional environment, providing a realistic and immersive environment tailored to an individual's needs. VR therapies have been reported to be beneficial for some mental disorders [8], including anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. VR hypnosis (VRH), the combination of VR and hypnosis, involves the application of VR technology to guide the patient through the same steps that would typically be used for inducing hypnosis via an interpersonal process.…”