How virtual reality is being used to treat mental health issues

Virtual reality is now becoming a means to treat addiction and other mental health related issues. The immersion that virtual reality brings can be used as a coping strategy to guide those who struggle with mental health issues through tense situations. Many of those simulated scenarios can stimulate the same behaviour or state of mind that is addiction, anxiety, or etc. And Silicon Valley is continuously focusing on the co-development of these technologies with clinical advisory. Universities are starting to pay more attention to these startups and is trying to understand how to exactly use this technology effectively. So far, clinicans have most commonly used VR for exposure therapy - for example, putting a person with a fear of heights on the edge of a tall building. This basic premise could expand into a more comprehensive system where patients could treat multiple-diagnosis or severe symptoms. Although VR is not a panacea for the mental health crisis that needs more funding and more therapists, it is a substantial progression into a new generation of tools that can change the landscape of mental health treatment. 

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