At the start of the decade, the World Health Organization (WHO) submitted that about 450 million people were affected by neurological disorders and that one in four people will suffer from mental illness. More than 300 million people are now managing depression and about 800,000 people commit suicide every year.
Thankfully, advancements in medicine, psychology, neurology, and sociology are erasing the stigma surrounding mental illness and there’s growth in the mainstream awareness of mental health.
In the past few years, tech companies have thrown their hats in the ring to find solutions for health-related issues the public is now facing.
This piece provides insight into the work of four startups leveraging virtual reality in attempts to improve mental health.
Virtual Rehab
Virtual Rehab is leveraging virtual reality to provide psychological rehabilitation to vulnerable populations through an evidence-based solution that merges VR, AI, and Blockchain technology. The startup believes that VR tech could be pivotal in managing pain, preventing substance abuse, facilitating communication for people with autism and helping in the rehabilitation processes in correctional services. Virtual Rehab utilizes Virtual Reality to transport users into a VR world where they receive exposure therapy which adds triggers to strengthen their cognitive abilities, helping them cope with urges. The triggers in the VR world are related to the addiction that the user wants to overcome (alcohol, drugs, food, etc) and the user is expected to make decisions and choices. Unlike one-on-one or group therapy sessions where some users might be self-conscious or struggle to connect, Virtual Rehab ensures user privacy, allowing them to confront their addictions in an entirely safe space. The Blockchain component guarantees the privacy and security of data. In the words of Virtual Rehab founder and CEO, Dr. Raji Wahidy “when dealing with the most vulnerable populations out there, privacy and security of information and data shared, become extremely important… Fortunately, this level of privacy and data protection can all be made possible when integrating blockchain technology as part of the Virtual Rehab solution.” Users won’t be identified by name, instead, their data will be tied to wallet addresses. The AI component is a patented system that identifies risks, suggests treatment recommendations, and can proactively predict post-therapy behavior, helping addicts prepare for the obstacles which will come.
Psious
Founded in 2015, Psious is designed to help therapists and psychologists leverage technology solutions to improve mental health. It has a VR hardware kit that can be connected to smartphones and a biofeedback sensor that allows the therapist to measure the patient’s anxiety levels. In the words of CEO Xavier Palomer, “I think of the mind as an incredible machine, we want to better understand our complex feelings and emotions and have created tools to do this.”
Psious’ kit includes VR goggles, biofeedback sensors, and its proprietary Psious platform. The Psious platform stores more than 70 different environments and VR scenes in addition to 360º videos and augmented reality experiences. Therapists can determine the flow of the VR experience by tweaking hundreds of parameters to create a customized experience that is best suited for an intended objective.
The platform also generates patient progress reports to help the therapist make informed decisions while helping patients measure their progress. The company has a community of more than 500 mental health professionals who share their experience on how Virtual Reality is helping them to improve their practices.
Limbix
Limbix develops digital therapeutics for mental health by creating and testing prescription digital therapeutic products in collaboration with academic institutions. The company’s flagship Limbix VR Kit is a medical-grade wireless device that provides users with a VR experience without requiring an internet connection. Limbix has developed a VR Kit that includes a headset that can be used in clinical settings without being tethered to a phone or connected to the Internet. The kit also includes a tablet that connects to the VR headset via Bluetooth to mirror the VR content and aid the healthcare provider in managing the VR experience. It also includes a VR library through which patients can interact with a wide range of dynamic VR environments. Unlike other VR healthcare projects that are designed as B2B or B2C products, Limbix is designing its products as Prescription Digital Therapeutic (PDT) devices. PDT devices are required to comply to FDA processes and standards, and they are prescribed by medication practitioners in the same way that drugs are prescribed.
Mindcotine
Mindcotine is leveraging Virtual Reality to help smokers make a conscious effort to confront nicotine addiction on their journey to ultimately stopping to smoke. Mindcotine takes its users through a program that lasts between three to twelve months of 21-day cycles that take a minimum of around 12 minutes every day.
Mindcotine's kit consists of a VR viewer, two wristbands, and an app. The company uses VRS layered on a combination of techniques to form the core of its program. The techniques include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) which is designed to influence and restructure cognitive processes to aid the abandonment of nicotine.
It also uses Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP), a form of mindfulness training that helps smokers live in the present and to consciously control their choices until the urge to smoke passes. Also, its Stimulus Exposure Therapy (ET) allows users to experience virtual environments in which the consumption of nicotine products happen to reinforce the decision to consciously reject the option to smoke.
The arrival of health tech using VR to help patients in their recovery process is an exciting development. It opens up possibilities as with the tech in play it's possible to accurately measure parameters and collect data points that will further improve the quality of diagnosis and treatments for future patients. However, one cannot but wonder if proponents are overestimating how VR could disrupt healthcare in the short term while critics are underestimating its potential impact in the long term.
Of course, VR won’t entirely replace traditional diagnostic techniques and therapists but, it is only a matter of time before healthcare practitioners start recommending HoloLens or Oculus Rifts to their patients.