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Real Pain Dulled In Virtual Worlds

Posted by timothy on from the burns-are-serious dept.

26199 writes "The BBC is reporting on a novel use of Virtual Reality: as a distraction for burn victims who suffer excruciating pain during daily dressing changes. What's most interesting is that it actually works. Another use of VR discussed is in the treatment of patients suffering Post Traumatic Stress Disorder; memories can be relived until they are accepted."

10 of 237 comments (clear)

  1. Amazing... by Vthornheart · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This could present some fascinating implications for medicine... Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is often one of the more difficult psychological disorders to treat, and is pretty much tops in the category of "anxiety-related" disorders. It would be a wonderful thing if it actually is useful in treatment.

    --
    -Vendal Thornheart
  2. Safe? by CelticWhisper · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Call me a skeptic, but it seems like there's still a lot of room for potential damage from this. PTSD patients reliving memories until they're accepted? Doesn't that seem a little like forced traumatic recollection? I mean...yes, I'm sure it would have some desensitizing factor, but is that really a good thing? I don't necessarily know that I'd be jumping to sign up...

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    1. Re:Safe? by farquharsoncraig · · Score: 4, Insightful
      I mean...yes, I'm sure it would have some desensitizing factor, but is that really a good thing?
      It's not the desensitizing factor, but rather the acceptance/understand factor. It would be a dissapointing tragedy of the worst kind indeed were you not able to, over the course of your life, eventually overcome and have sovereign dominion over your own body and mind.
    2. Re:Safe? by chazwurth · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I guess that depends what you mean by 'work.' I personally don't like the idea of getting over an emotional trauma by 'desensitizing' myself to it, as the article seems to suggest. Maybe I'm being sentimental, but it seems to me that what allows us to grow from painful experiences is having to come to terms with them, not getting desensitized.

      Physical pain (like that of the burn victims) is one thing; emotional pain is something else entirely.

      --
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    3. Re:Safe? by Tsu+Dho+Nimh · · Score: 3, Insightful

      "What helps is a private talk with a friend or mom, lot of sleep and active program. I can't see how virtual reality videogame-like setting can do any good for PTSD." PThen you've never really had PTSD ... by definition, it's something that time, supportive friends and activity can't help you deal with in a few months. It's not the presence of bad memories and flashbacks, it's their continued and incapacitating existence screwing up your life months later.

  3. Detachment from Reality by laymil · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So what happens when they come to rely on these techniques - people develop addictions to VR, just like they develop addictions to painkillers?

    Sounds scary to me. Picture a person who can't live in the outside world because they have developed a psychological disorder based on the fact that the outside world only gives them pain.

    Or the Slashdot reader who wants to experience VR so badly that he lights himself on fire...
    that last one is definitely more likely, isn't it?

  4. Both sides shown by Mikmorg · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Just remember, as with all emergant technologies, there are ups and downs, depending at who's disposal the technology is used. This could be, and sounds like it is, helpful towards medical purposes, and as others have mentioned, sure it could have problems with making a person desensitized.

    I say, give it time, take it slowly, and just hope for the best.

    Speaking of downsides, I can't imagine what the government is thinking about doing with this sort of stuff :P

    --
    Codito, ergo sum.
  5. Hmmm ... by rholliday · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Now, I wonder how interactive these VR sessions are. Could the burn patients injure themselves by getting too into it? How "real" are these memories for the PTS patients? Will they fell like observers, or participants?

    --
    Xbox reviews.. We think they're funny.
  6. Re:I believe we already have a cure... by Vthornheart · · Score: 4, Insightful
    That also poses a point about the great benefits for Burn Victims... I've been focusing on the PTSD part of it a bit too much...

    Finding a way to distract patients from pain is a far greater solution than medication. No side effects, no expensive or addictive substances to use (well, those who really like MMORPGs would disagree with my "addictive" statement, but...), and in general would be preferred over medication.

    I mean, this daily dressing routine... it takes only a fraction of the day. Giving them morphine for it then ruins the majority of their day, as they spend it in a near-lifeless stupor. And without anything, those few minutes of the day would no doubt be torturous...

    --
    -Vendal Thornheart
  7. Distraction by ChimpyMonkey · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ..how is this any different from when you were a child, your mother distracting you from injuries with a lollie/toy? I know it used to work on me, and it sure works on my girls. It seems a bit of a reach to claim this is anything new.