Using a virtual reality avatar alleviates symptoms in 90% of people diagnosed with schizophrenia
- Psychologist Susana Ochoa, a European leader in Avatar therapy, is directing this research promoted by the Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu Somrise project
- The first results of the research will be presented to coincide with World Schizophrenia Day, Saturday, 24 May
AVATAR-VR therapy, currently under study, alleviates the symptoms of people with schizophrenia in 90% of cases. Susana Ochoa, psychologist at the Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, director of this research and a leading figure in Avatar therapy in Europe, has announced these first findings, to coincide with the celebration of World Schizophrenia Day, Saturday, 24 May.
In the European Union, five million people have been diagnosed with schizophrenia. 30% of patients do not respond to conventional pharmacological treatment and this makes them more prone to long periods in hospital and relapses, leading to suicidal behaviour in some cases. Psychologist Ochoa's research group uses innovative technologies to provide new solutions for these sufferers.
Confrontation with inner voices
AVATAR-VR therapy allows people with schizophrenia to interact directly with a digital avatar that simulates the voices they hear in their head. At all times, a therapist guides the patient in confrontational dialogues with inner voices that are authoritarian, threatening or abusive. The ultimate goal is to achieve changes in the negative perceptions that people with schizophrenia have of themselves and their relationships with others. “We help them lead a much more functional life,” says Ochoa. And she adds that AVATAR-VR therapy is another tool to “counteract the stigma of this mental illness”.
