Virtual Reality the Next Big Step in Mental Health Treatment
Using Virtual Reality and Avatars to Improve Mental Health
“VR isn’t just capable of helping us with what seem like more straightforward phobias and anxiety disorders. It can also help with depression, schizophrenia, paranoia.”
— Daniel Freeman, professor of clinical psychology at the Department of Psychiatry, Oxford University.
With the pandemic creating a significant spike in mental health issues, it is impossible to sweep this issue under the rug any longer. The percentage of people experiencing anxiety and depression is currently 40% when it was 11% only a year earlier
The number of adults in the U.S. suffering from worry, stress, and their impact on wellbeing rose from 32% earlier in March to 53% by July.
Many of my close friends have become victims of this surge in mental health issues. Be it from losing their jobs, health anxiety, or having to spend excessive time in isolation — they can no longer handle these issues’ adverse effects on their own. We can use virtual reality to address this dilemma.
Previous methods of dealing with mental health-related concerns are insufficient to accommodate this rise. That’s why it’s important to delve further into the use of virtual…
