Exploring Schizophrenia Through the Lens of Video Games and Real-Life Avatars
Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder that typically begins in early adulthood or late teenage years. It leads to delusions, changes in personality, agitation, confusion, psychosis, and unusual behaviors. In simpler terms, people with schizophrenia have trouble distinguishing between what’s real and what’s imaginary. They often experience hallucinations, especially hearing voices, and have disruptive thought patterns and perceptions.
Globally, around 1% of adults are affected by schizophrenia. Research suggests that it may stem from abnormal brain development in fetuses, which becomes noticeable later in life. Despite being a well-known mental illness, there’s still a lot we don’t understand about its causes and treatments. Current antipsychotic medications are considered outdated and come with severe side effects that make many patients reluctant to use them.
However, researchers are exploring new therapies outside traditional psychiatry. One promising method involves the use of avatars. This therapy allows patients to create digital representations of the voices they hear. The concept is similar to computer simulations used to help people confront their phobias. Patients design an avatar to embody one of their distressing voices, which is then animated on a screen. A doctor, located in another room, controls what this avatar says and does.
During therapy sessions, the doctor encourages the patient to stand up to the avatar, telling it that its statements are nonsense and to leave them alone. Early results are encouraging: After seven 30-minute sessions, most participants reported hearing the voices less often and feeling less disturbed by them.
Another recent study from the University of British Columbia is exploring the use of a video game to help treat schizophrenia. Eye movement issues are a key symptom, making everyday tasks like reading a map or dialing a phone difficult. These visual impairments are also linked to hallucinations.
In the study, patients play a game called “eye soccer,” where they watch a ball move across the screen toward a stationary line. They have to guess whether the ball will hit or miss the line, testing their ability to judge movement. The disease’s visual impairments make this difficult, causing the brain to fill in gaps with imagery from past experiences, leading to hallucinations.
The researchers are working on developing a mobile app that allows patients to practice these eye movement skills. Improving these skills could enhance their perception and ability to handle daily tasks, potentially rewiring the brain to reduce hallucinations over time.
I came across this information while reading case studies on mental disorders and rehab clinics and wanted to share these intriguing developments with anyone interested.
