Virtual Reality and Psychotic Disorders

Abstract

In the early years of virtual reality in mental healthcare several reviews were published. None of them mentions work done on virtual reality with psychotic disorders yet, though some early work was starting to get published around the same time. There are different psychotic disorders with each their own specified combination of symptom domains, symptom intensity and duration. Psychotic experiences persist, transition to a psychotic disorder becomes a possibility. The main recognizable symptom domains of psychotic disorders are hallucinations and delusions. Hallucinations are perceptions a person experiences without a corresponding external stimulus. Patients with a psychotic disorder for example often experience auditory hallucinations such as hearing voices. When new technologies become available the first logical step is to translate and enhance existing research methods and treatments using the new medium. Virtual reality technology offers new possibilities for such core research and should continue. But a parallel path to follow would be to think outside of the box and use virtual reality to re-innovate healthcare for psychotic disorders. This chapter gives a general overview of the scientific work done on virtual reality in the assessment and treatment of psychotic disorders and addresses future challenges and possibilities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)