Clinical Virtual Reality in Mental Health and Rehabilitation: A Brief Review of the Future!

摘要

The paper details some of the history of Clinical Virtual Reality (VR) as it has evolved over the last 25 years andprovides a brief overview of the key scientific findings for making a judgment regarding its value in the areas of mentalhealth and rehabilitation. This write-up is designed be a companion piece to my SPIE keynote on the topic of, “IsClinical Virtual Reality Ready for Primetime?” As such, the paper is packed with citations to key scientific research inthis area that should provide readers who are interested in this topic with a roadmap for further exploration of theliterature. After presenting a brief history of the area, a discussion follows as to the theory, research, and pragmaticissues that support the view that this VR use case is theoretically informed, has a large and convincing scientificliterature to support its clinical application, and that recent technology advances and concomitant cost reductions havemade clinical implementation feasible and pragmatically supported. The paper concludes with the perspective thatClinical VR applications will soon become indispensable tools in the toolbox of psychological researchers andpractitioners and will only grow in relevance and popularity in the future.