New VR tool may help boost mental health, well-being: Study

Researchers are developing a personalized, therapeutic virtual reality (VR) tool which may enable new forms of self-reflection, and help improve and maintain positive mental health. The VR tool being developed by researchers from the University of Sheffield in the UK can be used by people with common mental health problems to create an immersive version of their journey through life.

The tool allows people to capture live events, upload relevant digital content and reflect on their thoughts and feelings in great detail, researchers said. As well as helping with better mental health, this approach could also be beneficial for people in the early stages of dementia, those receiving end-of-life care and those with addiction problems or long-term physical conditions.

Around one in four UK adults has a mental health condition, with depression and anxiety being the most common, the researchers said. There is a widely-recognized urgent need to find approaches to treatment which are cost-effective and attractive, particularly for those who do not benefit from existing services, they said.

"With more people seeking help with mental health problems, and increasing pressure on existing services, new ways of intervening faster and more effectively to help people are needed, and the use of new technology is one way of improving care; making it more personalized and engaging," said Chris Blackmore, from the University of Sheffield's School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR). "Previous research has shown that recovery from an experience such as depression is a complex, personal journey and a proactive personalized approach to understanding people's individual needs would be a valuable component of treatment," said Blackmore.

"This narrative approach to the treatment of common mental health problems is favored by users of mental health services, but that level of choice is often unavailable. "We wanted to develop a tool which puts people's own personal experience at the center of things, and helps them to tell their life stories in a new way," he said.