5/5 (1)

If you were to google ‘Can Virtual Reality Treat Anxiety’ one of the first links would lead to an article questioning if virtual reality (VR) causes anxiety. Not really a strong first impression if someone were to look for something helpful.

If you were to look further, you would find articles, research, and evidence about the fact that it could help treat anxiety. In fact, research showed that VR intervention was actually more effective compared with the current standard therapy (Ioannou et al., 2020).

The treatment this talks about is Virtual Reality Exposure (VRE). An example of this can be seen at the University of Oxford, as they are working on something called ‘Oxford VR’. They are using their Oxford VR Social Engagement platform to help people who suffer from, for example, Social Anxiety. This treatment is meant to help practice different everyday tasks, such as riding a bus or going to a shop. This helps people get used to outside triggers and even develop strategies to make these experiences easier in real life (Kent, 2021).

There is also another form in which VR can help with anxiety, Virtual Reality Relaxation. VRelax is less of an official treatment, but it is a relaxation tool to combat stress, burnout, anxiety, and depression (VRelax, n.d.). So, there are multiple ways to use VR within the subject of anxiety!

These types of Virtual Reality solutions are becoming more and more advanced. Though people are still using man-made situations which are meant to closely resemble real life. This can never be 100% suitable for every situation, seeing that real life in itself is not that predictable. Another side of using VR is the cost of it. In some countries, VRE is already accessible to the wide public, as Oxford VR is available to the English public via the NHS. Other forms, like the VRelax, are for private use and need to be bought. Seeing that the price is near €1000, this could be a hurdle for people to adopt this technology.

I do however think that Virtual Reality and its uses for Anxiety are a great development. Especially after the last two years, I can imagine that if you were already prone to social anxiety before Corona, mostly being at home without much social interaction would not have helped. But even without that, any new treatment which could help more people should be welcomed with open arms if you ask me.

References

Ioannou, A., Papastavrou, E., Avraamides, M. N., & Charalambous, A. (2020). Virtual Reality and Symptoms Management of Anxiety, Depression, Fatigue, and Pain: A Systematic  Review. SAGE Open Nursing. https://doi.org/10.1177/2377960820936163

Kent, C. (2021, February 16). Using virtual reality to overcome anxious social avoidance. Retrieved from Medical Device Network: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6823515/#:~:text=Incorporating%20VR%20in%20therapy%20can,in%20vivo%20or%20imaginal%20exposure.

VRelax. (n.d.). Letting go of worries and stress for a while! Retrieved from VRelax: https://vrelax.com/en/home-us/

5/5 (1)

When going through our daily lives, it is clear that IT has an integral part in our ‘new normal’. From the CoronaCheck app for going out to Microsoft Teams for working from home. But it goes further than that, as there are many technologies which have helped during this difficult period in various parts of the world.

To name a few technologies which were or are critical as solutions (He, Zhang, & Li, 2021) (Ye, Zhou, & Wu, 2020):

• Machine Learning / Deep Learning
  For diagnostic and prognostic analysis and automatic detection of Covid-19.
• Big Data Analytics
  For contact tracing and epidemic prediction.
• HPC Infrastructures
  For new drug and vaccine development and drugs selection.
• Robots
  For various uses, from surface disinfection to temperature measurement and social robots to keep patients company during a lonely time.
• 3D Printing Technology
  For making protective masks and test swabs.
• Digital Contact Tracing Technology
  For the widely known smartphone tracing applications.
• Internet of Things
  For a smart disease surveillance system and ensuring patient compliance with quarantine.
• Blockchain
  For an immunity certificate system.

There is, however, a subject to discuss regarding these technologies: the digital divide. The digital divide is, in simple terms, the uneven access to digital content and connection. This could be because of numerous things, such as people not having easy access to technology or having anyone to help them with it. An example in The Netherlands could be the Corona QR code. The standard now would be downloading the app, but there are groups of people who can’t do this, such as the elderly. Therefore, the digital divide has to be included in the thought process for technology solutions as mentioned above. One of the things IT companies could do is testing and making sure their designs and processes are simple enough to be understood by almost anyone (He, Zhang, & Li, 2021). Innovation is one thing, making sure most people benefit is another.

As for the reason behind this blog, I really think this shows part of the importance of studying the field of IT. Many of the named technologies are mentioned during our program and here we are, seeing them in full effect. Next to that, IT is a big part of today’s society anyways, its involvement in the fight against a global crisis truly shows the extend of our future potential workfield.

References

He, W., Zhang, Z., & Li, W. (2021). Information technology solutions, challenges, and suggestions for tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Information Management, 1-8. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2020.102287

Ye, Q., Zhou, J., & Wu, H. (2020). Using Information Technology to Manage the COVID-19 Pandemic: Development of a Technical Framework Based on Practical Experience in China. JMIR Med Inform. doi:10.2196/19515