TY - JOUR
T1 - PTSD elderly war veterans
T2 - A clinical controlled pilot study
AU - Gamito, Pedro
AU - Oliveira, Jorge
AU - Rosa, Pedro
AU - Morais, Diogo
AU - Duarte, Nuno
AU - Oliveira, Susana
AU - Saraiva, Tomaz
PY - 2010/2
Y1 - 2010/2
N2 - Around 25,000 war veterans in Portugal suffer posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This clinically controlled study evaluates virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) as an alternative procedure to reduce PTSD symptoms. Ten patients were assigned to three groups: VRET, exposure in imagination (EI), and waiting list (WL). The patients were Portuguese veterans from a series of wars fought in former African colonies more than 30 years ago. While the EI group participated in traditional imagination therapy, the VRET group was exposed to a virtual reality (VR) war scenario. Cues such as ambush, mortar blasting, and waiting for rescue were used in the VR. Patients enrolled in the VRET group showed statistical reduction of PTSD-associated disorders like depression and anxiety. Far from being conclusive, this pilot study nonetheless presents some promising data on the use of VRET on old war veteran populations.
AB - Around 25,000 war veterans in Portugal suffer posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This clinically controlled study evaluates virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) as an alternative procedure to reduce PTSD symptoms. Ten patients were assigned to three groups: VRET, exposure in imagination (EI), and waiting list (WL). The patients were Portuguese veterans from a series of wars fought in former African colonies more than 30 years ago. While the EI group participated in traditional imagination therapy, the VRET group was exposed to a virtual reality (VR) war scenario. Cues such as ambush, mortar blasting, and waiting for rescue were used in the VR. Patients enrolled in the VRET group showed statistical reduction of PTSD-associated disorders like depression and anxiety. Far from being conclusive, this pilot study nonetheless presents some promising data on the use of VRET on old war veteran populations.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77949698554&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1089/cyber.2009.0237
DO - 10.1089/cyber.2009.0237
M3 - Article
C2 - 20528292
AN - SCOPUS:77949698554
SN - 2152-2715
VL - 13
SP - 43
EP - 48
JO - Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking
JF - Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking
IS - 1
ER -