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I’m Anxious and Can’t Meditate or Think My Way Out of Anxiety-Now What?
Why Virtual Reality Offers a Unique Pathway to Anxiety Reduction
The case for a complimentary, accessible form of care for anxiety: The current standard of care for managing anxiety disorders include medications such as SSRIs (e.g. escitalopram), psychotherapy (e.g. cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT) or both. In addition, mindfulness-based interventions (a treatment incorporating a type of meditation) can be helpful as well.
While all of these forms of care have proven efficacy, in 41.9 percent of people, anxiety may be chronic (lasts a long time) and in fact current estimates are that only 60 percent of people with anxiety disorders respond to standard treatments to any given degree. Though the precise response may vary depending on the definition of “response” and the individual, it is abundantly clear that there is room for a complementary treatment modality that is different. Also, proper care is lacking, as indicated by studies that demonstrate sub-standard care in the primary care setting. And only 27.6 percent of people diagnosed with an anxiety disorder receive any care.
Why virtual reality (VR) is a promising modality for the treatment of anxiety disorders: There are two broad contexts in which virtual reality may be helpful for anxiety: (1) As a way to expose…
