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Virtual Reality Goes to War: A Brief Review of the Future of Military Behavioral Healthcare

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Abstract

Numerous reports indicate that the incidence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in returning OEF/OIF military personnel is creating a significant healthcare challenge. These findings have served to motivate research on how to better develop and disseminate evidence-based treatments for PTSD. Virtual Reality delivered exposure therapy for PTSD has been previously used with reports of positive outcomes. This article details how virtual reality applications are being designed and implemented across various points in the military deployment cycle to prevent, identify and treat combat-related PTSD in OIF/OEF Service Members and Veterans. The summarized projects in these areas have been developed at the University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technologies, a U.S. Army University Affiliated Research Center, and this paper will detail efforts to use virtual reality to deliver exposure therapy, assess PTSD and cognitive function and provide stress resilience training prior to deployment.

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Acknowledgements

The projects described here have been sponsored by the Office of Naval Research, TATRC, MRMC, DCoE, and U.S. Army Research, Development, and Engineering Command (RDECOM). Statements and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the position or the policy of the United States Government, and no official endorsement should be inferred.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Creative Technologies, University of Southern California, 12015 Waterfront Dr., Playa Vista, CA, 90094, USA

    Albert Rizzo, Thomas D. Parsons, Belinda Lange, Patrick Kenny, John G. Buckwalter, John Frazier, Brad Newman & Josh Williams

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Barbara Rothbaum

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA

    JoAnn Difede

  4. National Center for Telehealth and Technology, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Tacoma, WA, USA

    Greg Reger

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  1. Albert Rizzo
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Correspondence to Albert Rizzo.

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Rizzo, A., Parsons, T.D., Lange, B. et al. Virtual Reality Goes to War: A Brief Review of the Future of Military Behavioral Healthcare. J Clin Psychol Med Settings 18, 176–187 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-011-9247-2

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