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.

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