An adaptive display for the treatment of diverse trauma PTSD victims.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can develop after exposure to a terrifying event. People who suffer from PTSD experience hyperarousal and avoidance, and they reexperience symptoms that provoke distress and impairment in significant life areas. Cognitive behavior programs, including exposure therapy, are currently the treatment of choice for PTSD. Although these programs are effective, there is room for improvement; utilization of exposure therapy by clinicians is low, and attrition rates are high. Application of new technologies, especially virtual reality (VR), could help to overcome these issues. Several VR programs that address PTSD already exist. This study presents preliminary data on the efficacy of a VR adaptive display called EMMA's World, as applied in the treatment of diverse trauma PTSD victims. This VR program is unique; its flexibility allows it to be used to treat patients who suffer from PTSD due to different kinds of traumatic events. Results support the utility of EMMA's World in the treatment of PTSD.
Universitat Jaume I de Castellón, Spain. botella@psb.uji.es
Cristina
C
Botella
Azucena
A
García-Palacios
Veronica
V
Guillen
Rosa Maria
RM
Baños
Soledad
S
Quero
Mariano
M
Alcaniz
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003198:Computer Simulation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018579:Patient Selection; D010865:Pilot Projects; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014584:User-Computer Interface