Afraid of heights, flying, spiders? A latest virtual reality-based app might have the ability to aid you.
In line with the American Psychological Association, a phobia is a form of tension disorder that’s defined by a “persistent and irrational fear of a selected situation, object, or activity.”
Present in about 12.5% of adults in the US, in keeping with the National Institute of Mental Health, among the more common ones include acrophobia (fear of heights), arachnophobia (fear of spiders) and aviophobia (fear of flying).
These phobias may be difficult to treat. Often, exposure therapy is the primary line of treatment for specific phobias, because it exposes the person to their fear in a protected environment. Unfortunately, it’s not all the time easy to access, and is related to high dropout rates.
Now, a latest study from the University of Otago in Latest Zealand has found an app named oVRcome, which is predicated on virtual reality (VR), and may be used to treat specific phobias.
Recently published within the Australian and Latest Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, the study findings revealed the self-guided VR system reduced the symptom severity of 5 specific sorts of phobias.
100 and twenty-six adults living in Latest Zealand took part in a randomized controlled trial that lasted for six weeks. All these adults had certainly one of the five phobias mentioned:
- Fear of flying
- Fear of spiders
- Fear of dogs
- Fear of heights
- Fear of needles
These people were then given access to a smartphone and the web to make use of oVRcome.
After the trials, the researchers found a major improvement in symptoms within the individuals who used the app. The typical severity rating decreased from 28/40 (moderate to severe symptoms) to 7/40 (minimal symptoms) after the trial.
“The improvements they reported suggest there’s great potential for the usage of VR and cell phone apps as a way of self-guided treatment for people fighting often-crippling phobias,” said Dr. Cameron Lacey, certainly one of the study authors.
Currently, oVRcome is now available to assist with 10 specific phobias, in addition to social anxiety. Individuals who wish to use the app are required to pay a monthly subscription fee.