Virtual Iraq: treating posttraumatic stress disorder with video games

Can a realistic war game help treat the stresses of real war in a soldier? That the debate going on in the country right now about a game being used to do just that called Virtual Iraq. Because video games are a comfortable medium for many, using a game like Virtual Iraq to treat war-related posttraumatic stress disorder seems like a perfect fit. On the flip side, many are not comfortable with the idea of undergoing traditional psychological treatment to deal with the very serious issues was can produce in returning soldiers.

The game is part of Virtually Better, which is run by Josh Spitalnick, PhD, The group developed “Virtual Iraq” and several other virtual reality games to treat posttraumatic stress disorder via a two-year open clinical trial of 20 participants funded by the Office of Naval Research. The program is showing positive results but more rigorous testing is needed to fully understand the advantages or disadvantages of using games as a treatment method.

Gaming has a lot of nonclinical benefits because it is widely accepted by younger generations, relatively low cost and easily accessible.

Robbi Saletsky, PhD, clinical associate professor and director of the Cognitive Behavior Therapy Program for Depression and Anxiety Disorders at Upstate Medical University in Rochester, N.Y., is conducting one of the 15 studies using Virtual Iraq around the country. Saletsky said she has found similar virtual reality programs to be successful because they open up options to a population that might not respond well to traditional exposure-method treatments that rely on the patient’s imagination.

And in a separate study set beginning next year, the U.S. Air Force for will also use virtual reality treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder at its Lackland base in San Antonio.

Virtual Iraq is modeled after Pandemic’s Full Spectrum Warrior and allows clinical researchers to customize the experience for each patient. Therapists can recreate a traumatic event down to specifics, including the time of day, sites, sounds and even smells associated with the event. A chair simulates movement while 3D goggles enhance immersion into the scene.

The games also help address the stigma associated with psychotherapy, backers say. The conclude that it is easier to get the patient to put themselves in the virtual experience because many of these patients are young and grew up playing games.

Barbara Rothbaum, PhD, a psychologist at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, is conducting similar tests with the software but is doing so in conjunction with medications.

But not everyone thinks it is such a great idea; Arthur Blank, MD, a Vietnam veteran who practices psychiatry in Bethesda, Md., thinks that exposure therapy is an important part of treatment for PTSD, but how important varies from patient to patient. He thinks the same considerations should apply whether a doctor uses virtual reality or the traditional exposure therapy techniques, and that ultimately patients should have a “great deal of say as to whether they will do it.”

Naturally Virtual Iraq and programs like it are only a small part of the treatment plan that doctors would use to treat PTSD, but is having one more tool that works a bad thing? Never. What clinical psychologist need to figure out is does it work better than traditional methods – and more importantly is it in the best interest of patients?

Source: AMA News