WASHINGTON — Veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) could gain some relief from a new virtual-reality program, new research suggests.
The simulated environment, which lets members of the military "relive" their traumatic experiences in a computer-game environment, has shown success in several early studies, researchers said in a talk Thursday (Aug. 7) here at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association.
The new work builds on traditional exposure therapy, a behavioral technique used to treat PTSD and other anxiety disorders that involves exposing the patient to a fear-inducing object or context in a safe environment
Approximately 28 percent of U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq are diagnosed with clinical distress, according to the U.S. Air Force. A 2010 study published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry found that up to 17 percent of U.S. Iraq War veterans may have combat-related PTSD. Exposure-based therapies have been shown to be a promising form of treatment, said Skip Rizzo, a psychologist at the University of Southern California's Institute for Creative Technologies in Los Angeles, who is leading the work.
"The [virtual reality] format may appeal to a generation of service members who have grown up with the digital world, and feel comfortable with it," Rizzo said. In addition, the virtual-reality program is wireless, making it convenient for veterans to use, he added.
The first versions of the virtual-reality program, called "Virtual Iraq" and "Virtual Afghanistan," were adapted from the first-person video game "Full Spectrum Warrior," which was released for Xbox in 2004. The program featured a wide range of combat situations, and allowed the user to tweak the time of day, the weather conditions and the wound levels of characters in the game. In addition, medical experts could insert "trigger stimuli" to mimic the original traumatic experience.
Now, the researchers have developed a new virtual-reality program, called "Bravemind," which was created using feedback from the first version and includes an expanded set of features.
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