More Info on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

As a psychology student, PTSD was one of the first major psychological disorders we covered. After a traumatic event (for example, military combat, being raped, witnessing a death), people relive the event over and over with real physiological consequences (hyperarousal, nightmares, flashbacks). They may also become depressed, have problems expressing themselves, have trouble sleeping and concentrating, develop substance abuse problems, or experience a wide range of related symptoms.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been accepted as the best form of treatment, but recently exposure therapy through virtural reality has been getting some major attention. The idea of exposure therapy is that if the patient can relive the experience in a controlled setting, eventually, the patient will gain control over the experience. Without that control, a patient may have flashbacks, nightmares, etc. at any given time, and may constantly be in a state of high arousal, making normal daily activities nearly impossible.

CBT is also about gaining control, but in a very different manner. In CBT, patients learn to change the way they think about the traumatic event and potential triggers that may make them think about the event. They learn to channel their grief, fear, and anxiety into other emotions, and thus, gain control over the flashbacks. Other courses of treatment include medication, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (similar to CBT), and types of CBT such as cognitive therapy and exposure therapy.

A quick search on Google Scholar shows applications of VR for PTSD with populations such as World Trade Center victims, Vietnam War veterans, and Iraq War veterans. The U.S. Navy has invested in VR research.

Links:
ABC News: Iraq War Veteran treated by Virtual Reality Therapy
National Center for PTSD
PTSD Wiki entry

Side Note: I am training for my new job, so the last week and the next few weeks will be pretty hectic. I apologize for the lack of posts--I now have regular Internet access so the posts should be more consistent!