Virtual coach offers gameChange to therapy

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Trials of a virtual reality program dubbed gameChange have shown that a ‘virtual coach’ can have life-improving impacts on patients that require psychological therapy.

gamechange
(Image: OxfordVR)

In the largest ever clinical trial of VR for mental health, the automated therapy was shown to work well for patients diagnosed with psychosis. The trial, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), is detailed in The Lancet Psychiatry.

The gameChange VR program was developed by a multi-partner team of university, health and industry experts including OxfordVR, an Oxford University spin-out that has created immersive technology for mental health. It is led by researchers at Oxford University and Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, and targets a problem that is common in people diagnosed with psychosis, namely intense fears about being outside in everyday situations.

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For many patients, these fears develop into a severe agoraphobia that means they avoid leaving the home, severely disrupting relationships with family and friends, their education, and careers. GameChange is designed to treat this agoraphobia and help patients re-engage with day-to-day activities.

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