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A fear of heights could be overcome with the help of a virtual therapist, suggest new research, and experts say the findings suggest that virtual reality could play a key role in the fight against other mental health problems. YouGov survey, an aversion to heights is more common in the UK than fear of spiders, snakes, or being in a plane, with 23% of British adults "very afraid" of heights and 35% a a little scared.
[19659002] "It's the most common type of phobia, and we know that many people do not receive treatment despite the fact that it affects a lot of people's lives," said Daniel Freeman, professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Oxford and first author of the research. Freeman is also the co-founder of Oxford VR, the company that participated in the research.
"What is extremely encouraging here, is just the size of the effects of the treatment, it is really very big," he said.
Freeman notes that a fear of heights was the first aspect of mental health to be approached with VR. But he says the previous approaches used the RV as help during therapy, while the new system means that a qualified therapist does not even need to be present.
The study comes a few months after the National Institute of Health Research announced in virtual reality therapy for mental health issues – a project that Freeman is leading. The team is currently studying the use of VR for conditions ranging from schizophrenia to depression, although Freeman has been quick to say that more skilled therapists are also needed.
Freeman and his colleagues report how they divided 100 adults who had a phobia of heights randomly divided into two groups: 49 were asked to don a headset for half an hour, two or three times a week for fifteen days while those from the other group continued as usual without specific treatment.
A total of 47 people participated in at least one VR session and completed about four and a half sessions on average. The therapy involved an avatar coach performing an assessment before inviting the individual to choose a floor of a virtual building and ask him to perform activities, such as saving a cat from a branch, explore the thoughts behind his fears.
Their fear of heights was assessed by means of a series of questionnaires at the beginning of the study, at the end of the two-week therapy period, and again after another two weeks.
The results reveal that all 49 VR Group showed a significant improvement in their phobia, with scores on a self-reported questionnaire on fear of heights falling by 68% on average. The number of those who have received no therapy has changed little, rising on average by just over 3%
"It's better than what we're getting at." Would wait if we saw a therapist face to face, "says Freeman. results. "We have not done any direct comparison, but if you look at other treatment trials, the results are much better."
The team also found that the benefits were still visible two weeks after VR therapy, and he said Freeman said that although some people prefer to see a therapist, the results show that individuals have benefited from the VR therapy, and added that some people do not do it. seek treatment for mental health problems because they do not want to have to talk to a therapist.
However, the study had limitations, including that the fall of fear of heights was based on a self-reported questionnaire, and it was unclear what aspects of virtual therapy were helpful. The study also did not examine whether effects were maintained in the longer term.
Dr. Warren Mansell, a clinical psychologist from the University of Manchester who did not participate in the study, said that he was not surprised that the therapy by RV proved to be effective, but he clarified that it was not yet clear But, Mansell added, VR is useful because it offers individuals the potential to carefully control situations to which they are exposed . , which can be difficult in the real world but, he says, is an important aspect of such therapy.
Mansell was also optimistic that such a technology could be useful beyond phobias. "Most people with bipolar disorder have an anxiety disorder, for example," he said. "Fear is at the root of psychosis, and we need new solutions to help people with idiosyncratic problems."
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