Advances in Virtual Reality and Anxiety Disorders

Behavioral therapy has been a traditionally effective method of treating anxiety disorders. In this therapy, patients learn that the more that they expose themselves to a fearful situation, the better they will be able to cope with more anxiety-provoking situations in the future. Virtual reality treatment is structured in the same way as traditional behavioral therapy. The big difference is that patients are exposed to virtual environments and not real situations. VR treatment makes it possible to recreate the painful stimulus, enabling both the patient and clinician to have complete control over the situation. VR also allows patients to confront fears that are not easy to simulate because of geography or cost fear of heights or flying for example. This book is a comprehensive review of the use of virtual reality to treat anxiety disorders, including specific phobias, panic disorder and agoraphobia, social phobia, obsessive compulsive disorder and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The book includes a review of the results of past research and controlled studies on each disorder, descriptions of the symptomatology of each disorder, protocols for the treatment of each disorder and the ethical implications of virtual reality treatment.§