Basic issues in the use of virtual environments for mental health applications

Area of Science:

• Clinical Psychology
• Neuropsychology
• Virtual Environment Technology

Background:

• Virtual Environments (VE) show promise in clinical psychology and neuropsychology.
• Current applications are limited by a scarcity of controlled studies on clinical populations.
• VE technology is relatively new, expensive, and unfamiliar to many researchers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review fundamental theoretical and pragmatic issues for developing VE applications in mental health.
• To guide the decision-making process for applying VE in clinical psychology, neuropsychology, and cognitive rehabilitation.
• To inform the development of both head-mounted display (HMD) and non-HMD VE applications.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on VE applications in clinical psychology and neuropsychology.
• Analysis of PC-based flatscreen approaches and their contribution to VE development.
• Discussion of key issues relevant to VE application in mental health.

Main Results:

• While limited, existing work provides a foundation for future VE research in mental health.
• PC-based VE studies offer valuable insights for developing mental health applications.
• Several critical factors must be considered for successful VE implementation.

Conclusions:

• Careful consideration of specific issues is crucial for the efficient development of VE in clinical psychology and neuropsychology.
• Key factors include choosing VE over existing methods, population fit, presence, navigation, side effects, generalization, and data analysis.
• This review provides a framework for developing and applying VE for mental health interventions.