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Stanford to investigate using virtual reality for psychiatric treatment

Conversion disorder, also known as functional neurological symptom disorder, is a condition wherein mental or emotional stresses are converted into physical symptoms.

"It’s kind of the roots of psychiatry," Dr. Kim Bullock, a clinical associate professor of pyschiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford and the lead researcher on the study, told MobiHealthNews. "Everyone’s very curious about this subject because it’s the intersection between mind, body, culture, environment. It kind of embodies everything that we’re trying to figure out. But very little research has been done on this subject. There’s no big pharmaceutical money behind it and there’s really a lack of awareness among providers about how ubiquitous this disorder is, because it kind of infiltrates every medical specialty."

Bullock said that neuro-imaging studies have shown that in people with conversion disorder, a part of the prefrontal cortex that normally inhibits the amygdala from taking control of the motor-sensory cortex doesn't function like it should. Most existent treatments focus on calming down the amygdala so it doesn't become overactive and "hijack" motor functions or senses.

"What’s really cool about virtual reality is it’s been shown to be helpful with people with post-traumatic stress disorder that have similar areas in the brain that are overactive," Bullock said. "So we thought maybe VR will be a way to desensitize people, figure out what their triggers are, similar to what’s been done with PTSD."

Physical therapy is also a useful treatment for conversion disorder, and virtual reality could be used to deliver physical therapy as well.

See the full story here: http://mobihealthnews.com/content/stanford-investigate-using-virtual-reality-psychiatric-treatment