PTSD Virtual Reality Military Computer Training

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a mental illness caused by traumatic events such as those experienced in combat. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs says 11 to 20 percent of service men and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from PTSD. Mental health experts have been using Virtual Reality Exposure with Arousal Control treatments since 2008, allowing patients to relive combat experiences safely and in a secure location.

PTSD

• PTSD is a severe anxiety disorder causing flashbacks, nightmares, sleeplessness and anger. The disorder can affect relationships, both business and personal, and lead to drug addiction or anger problems. Conventional treatment includes cognitive therapy and medication, but because combat veterans experience some of the worst kinds of trauma, such as death and severe injury, many are unresponsive to conventional treatments and seek VREC-AC.

How it Works

• First, virtual-reality glasses or curved projectors are strapped to the patient to provide a 360-degree visual environment. A large treadmill below the patient gives them six degrees of motion within the environment. A 2010 "Popular Science" report by Clay Dillow says doctors use the equipment to gradually reintroduce veterans to traumatic environments while monitoring arousal and providing therapy. Doctors control all aspects of the virtual experience like the weather, sounds, smells and the level of violence.

Locations

• VREC-ACs can even be configured to simulate helicopter rides, Humvee rides, and other difficult combat situations more difficult to reproduce in real life. Environments can be simplified or adjusted for those suffering with an artificial limb or motor-skill impairment. Patients are even fitted with artificial weapons and gear, capable of firing inside of the environment.

Does it Work?

• A 2010 study conducted by the U.S. Navy in two Southern California military hospitals showed nine of 10 treated using VREC-AC had improvements of 30 percent on their CAPS assessment, the clinical assessment for PTSD. That is compared to just one of 10 in the control group. Dr. Jeffrey Borenstein, chairman of the American Psychological Association's Council on Communications, calls it an "exciting advance in the treatment of PTSD."