A Bibliometric Study of the Evidence About Applying Virtual Reality in Mental Health Care

Virtual reality (VR) technology has gained much traction related to mental health owing to its interactive features and immersive nature. A systematic bibliometric evaluation is necessary to guide researchers in identifying emerging trends and research priorities in VR technology applications for mental health, highlighting evolving challenges and research needs.

This study aimed to analyze the bibliometric characteristics and scope of evidence on the application of virtual reality in mental health care, synthesizing findings and exploring potential innovations.

We conducted a bibliometric analysis using CiteSpace to examine 1333 articles from the Web of Science Core Collection (from January 1, 1999, to February 14, 2025), retrieved via the search query TS=("Mental health" AND "Virtual reality"). The study mapped key research trends, including international and institutional collaboration networks, author co-citation networks, and the evolution of keyword co-occurrence to identify influential contributors, thematic clusters, and emerging developments in VR-based mental health research.

The analysis revealed three key findings: (1) Exponential publication growth starting in 2020 with over 110 annual publications; (2) Robust collaboration networks featuring 3587 authors with Riva, G. as a central figure and the University of London as the most prominent institutional hub; (3) Virtual reality, exposure therapy, skin conductance, mild cognitive impairment, psychosis, augmented reality, and serious game are the main research clusters. Emergent word analysis of keywords from 2014 to early 2025 yielded 34 words/terms with the strongest citation bursts.

This study demonstrates VR's integration with traditional therapy and its expanding role in treating diverse mental health conditions, from anxiety to schizophrenia. Future research should focus on standardizing treatments and validating their efficacy.