Virtual Reality Therapy 1. Rasmey Soun IT February 25, Virtual Reality Therapy

Transcription

1 Virtual Reality Therapy 1 Rasmey Soun IT February 25, 2016 Virtual Reality Therapy "By placing this statement on my webpage, I certify that I have read and understand the GMU Honor Code on and as stated, I as student member of the George Mason University community pledge not to cheat, plagiarize, steal, or lie in matters related to academic work. In addition, I have received permission from the copyright holder for any copyrighted material that is displayed on my site. This includes quoting extensive amounts of text, any material copied directly from a web page and graphics/pictures that are copyrighted. This project or subject material has not been used in another class by me or any other student. Finally, I certify that this site is not for commercial purposes, which is a violation of the George Mason Responsible Use of Computing (RUC) Policy posted on web site."

2 Virtual Reality Therapy 2 Introduction Virtual reality is an application that is slowly gaining speed within the technological world. Various headsets have been released, such as the Occulus Rift headset, that are being used for entertainment, such as virtual reality gaming. Virtual reality is achieved by putting on a headset, such as the Occulus Rift, or through other means such as Google Cardboard, which involves connecting a smartphone to the device to function as the screen. By putting on the headset, users are then immersed in a virtual reality world with their movements influencing how they perceive this virtual reality. Although virtual reality is making its way into the commercial use, it also has its use in therapy as well, such as helping in the curing of phobias. Current Use As of right now, virtual reality is a commercial product that can be purchased through the use of headsets such as the Occulus Rift and others, which contains virtual reality games for entertainment. Not only that, but virtual reality is also used to help cure illnesses in patients, most notably phobias. Virtual reality is utilized by having the patients exposed to their phobias through a virtual reality environment, helping build their confidence and lessening their fears. This type of therapy has proven useful in helping cure people of certain phobias such as arachnophobia and acrophobia. As of right now, virtual reality is used to cure patients with phobias, but with the evolution of technology to come, it may end up in other areas of health, helping in cure many other illnesses. A study was conducted in 1995 to show how patients with acrophobia would do if they were exposed to a virtual reality environment in which the patients 12 students were assigned to the virtual reality screening, while 8 were put on the waiting list for therapy (Rothbaum, 1995). What the study found was that students with virtual reality graded exposure experiences

3 Virtual Reality Therapy 3 reductions in self reported anxiety and avoidance of heights and improvements in attitudes towards heights (Rothbaum, 1995). Although the study is old, it shows how significant the technology of virtual reality exposure is for patients that suffers from phobias. With technology now more advanced and the graphics better in these new virtual headsets, the results could be even greater with the realism that these next generation devices can have on patients. Virtual reality is also being used for people with physical disabilities. Where these people can t normally function in their day to day lives, virtual reality helps alleviate that through the use of the virtual environment. A good example of this would be a client with a brain injury, who constantly reports about feelings of fatigue, can ride a virtual reality bicycle in a stimulating, safe, and controllable setting (Yang, 2001). Virtual reality helps people who have disabilities by giving them an advantage to try leading a normal life as best as they can. It provides a gateway for these people to enjoy themselves like everyone else in the comfort of their own home. With the help of virtual reality people with disabilities are able to engage in a range of activities in a simulator, safely and relatively free from their physical limitations (Yang, 2001). Virtual reality helps in giving people a more comfortable life, and helps them forget about the disabilities for the time that they are in the virtual environment. Security Aspects Although virtual reality therapy doesn t really pose a security threat, virtual reality itself can pose a security threat to people. Like any kind of piece of technology, there could be an instance where someone may try to impersonate someone else. Since this technology is still in its early stages, there are many security risks that are associated when utilizing its applications. However, in terms of virtual reality being used for therapy, there is a security risk for people who do use the headset with a mental illness that makes it hard to tell the difference between reality

4 Virtual Reality Therapy 4 and imagination. It can be seen that virtual reality environments offer the same potential for rudeness, harassment, and stalking as any other communication channel while also making the interaction seem even more real and personal (Korolov, 2014). Using virtual reality could end up in the forming of a thin line between reality and the virtual world. If someone who isn t mentally stable uses the technology, it could pose a threat to their mental being and to the safety of others around them as the person may not know the difference between what is real and virtual. Although virtual reality is here for commercial use and medical use, it is also a security risk as well since it could blur the difference between reality and the virtual world. Ethical and Social Implications Some of the implications that come associated with the use of virtual reality is the fact that some people may experience sickness when using the headsets. Since the headsets may not be perfect, people could experience malaise, nausea, and physical discomfort (Yang, 2001). This feeling could be experienced by the headset not functioning properly, such as it not being able to read the movement of the person using the headest. Another problem is the fact that high end headsets cost thousands, which may make it hard for practices to afford these devices to cater to their patients. One such place that it is purchasing these devices is the army, where instead of using the $550 Occulus Rift development kits, the Army uses higher-end virtual reality gear, priced in the $8,000 to $12,000 range (Korolov, 2014). Not only that, but The price increases significantly when other sensory modalities such as smell, touch, and movement are added (Ruskin, 2005). With prices so high, it may be hard for therapeutic institutions to actually have the virtual reality treatment, since they will be looking for a device that is more stable and won t cause a health concern. Advancement in the virtual reality headsets may help in the future, but for now the high cost poses a big concern.

5 Virtual Reality Therapy 5 Another problem is that the use of virtual reality does not make it possible for the device to be used in the treatment of its patients. A clear example of this would be a person with the illness of schizophrenia. The use of virtual reality will not help a person with this illness as it could cause unintended changes in the patients attitude or behavior, such as further implicating existing difficulty in distinguishing between reality and delusion (Yang, 2001). The use of therapy in the illness of schizophrenia is not an option as it will make their condition worse. Although virtual reality is helpful to people with phobias, here it does the complete opposite, indicating that therapy with virtual reality will not help with all illnesses. This could pose as an issue as people who already have trouble distinguishing between reality and imagination should not use this type of therapy or virtual reality at all, as it could pose a serious threat to their mental condition and the people around them. Future Use Virtual reality can continue to help in many other therapeutic uses other than curing phobias. Further advancements within the device could result in better capture of movement and the decrease in the risk of nausea that the user may encounter. The application of virtual reality therapy can have a more prominent role as its technologies improve, slowly becoming more mainstream in its commercial use, and hopefully finding more ways to cure patients from other illnesses. One such other way that Virtual reality exposure may also help veterans with PTSD and many other illnesses. If the trend for virtual reality continues to grow, then the technique can be applied to dozens of other phobias and anxieties (Osborne, 2002). In 2013, a virtual reality simulation was created to help veterans with PTSD by stimulating and environment of Iraq and Afghanistan. There were 20 participants within the study, and results found that mean pre/post PTSD military checklist scores decreased in a

6 Virtual Reality Therapy 6 statistical and clinically meaningful fashion: 54.4 to 35.6 (Rizzo, 2013). Even though results were found showing that virtual reality helped in patients with PTSD, Rizzo then went to state that uncontrolled open trials are difficult to generalize from and they have been cautious not to make excessive claims based on these early results (Rizzo, 2013). This means that the more studies that are conducted could yield a final result that could in virtual reality as a device that could help with PTSD and possibly other illnesses.

7 Virtual Reality Therapy 7 References Korolov, M. (2014). The real risks of virtual reality. Risk Management, 61(8), Retrieved from on Feb 17, This article talks mainly about the risks that virtual reality has and how it could be used to harm people and others around them. It is a very useful article because it talks about the risks associated with virtual reality and how people could use the technology to their own advantage. It goes on to talk about how virtual reality is like any other social media as people could use it as a channel to harass other people. The article also discusses many other risks with the technology, such as behavioral risks, costs, and security risks. Written in 2014, this article is close to present time, allowing in more analysis and information of virtual reality. Osborne, L. (2002, Dec 15). The year in ideas: Virtual-reality therapy. New York Times Magazine, Retrieved from on Feb 10, This article talks about virtual reality therapy and how it is used to help aid in the curing of phobias. It goes to talk about how virtual reality is used in these settings, and how the patient utilizes the technology to help cure the illness. The article gives details as to how the therapy works, such as how the patient is exposed to their phobia. It then goes on to talk about how the therapy is better than the usual way as it actually immerses the person in their phobia, and how the exposure helps increase their tolerance. Written in 2002, the information is still enough to be relevant as the therapy was in the infant stages during those times.

8 Virtual Reality Therapy 8 Rizzo, A. "., PhD., Buckwalter, J. G., Forbell, E., M.S., Reist, Chris,M.D., M.B.A., Difede, J., PhD., Rothbaum, B. O., PhD.,... Talbot, T., M.D. (2013). Virtual reality applications to address the wounds of war. Psychiatric Annals, 43(3), Retrieved from 62AFCC614DE6PQ/1?accountid=14541 on Feb 17, The article talks about how virtual reality can be used to help cure PTSD in soldiers after battles. It is relevant because it shows how virtual reality can help cure many other illnesses other than phobias and such. The article also includes a study done that shows how this therapy helps the patients. The results showed that people who were exposed to the virtual reality treatment improved much better than the ones who weren t. Since the article is written recently, it provides a lot of information since virtual reality therapy has been out for some time now, and provides information on how it is being used to cure something serious such as PTSD. Rothbaum, B. O., Hodges, L. F., Kooper, R., Opdyke, D., & al, e. (1995). Effectiveness of computer-generated (virtual reality) graded exposure in the treatment of acrophobia. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 152(4), Retrieved from on Feb 9, This study helps show the correlation between patients who are exposed to a virtual reality environment and if there is an improvement in their condition. The study focused on the fear of heights, or acrophobia, and went to find out how virtual reality affected their tolerance. What the study found was that people exposed to the virtual environment had a much better tolerance afterwards then the ones who weren t exposed. The study gives a clear picture that virtual therapy does indeed help the patients in a faster manner. However, since the article was

9 Virtual Reality Therapy 9 written in 1995, the information is a little outdated since technology has improved a lot since then. Ruskin, P. E. (2005). Virtual reality therapy for anxiety disorders: Advances in evaluation and treatment. The American Journal of Pschiatry, 162(9), Retrieved from on Feb 10, 2016 This article gave a basis of what virtual reality therapy was and how it was being utilized in the therapeutic field. Being written in 2005, the information is reliable since it is recent. The article also talks briefly about the cost of the technology and how it could be a hindrance since it is usually expensive. It gave information about phobias and how patients are exposed through the virtual environment. This article helped in developing a key idea of virtual therapy and helped in finding more information about the topic. Yang, H., & Poff, R. (2001, 05). Virtual reality therapy: Expanding the boundaries of therapeutic recreation. Parks & Recreation, 36, Retrieved from on Feb 10, This article included information about virtual therapy and also the risks that came with the technology. It provided information such as where the therapy was being used currently and how stated the benefits of the therapy or use of the technology. It also talked about the bad side of the technology, such as how the device may not be used to cure some illnesses and rather worsen it. The article is very useful since it both states the benefits and risks of the technology. Written in 2001, the article is a little old but still provides a lot of information about the technology.

10 Virtual Reality Therapy 10