Hoarding disorder is a compulsive behavioral condition in which the affected person is unable to give away things in their possession – and can range from hoarding to not allowing others to touch the items they have stored. Over time, objects cover the hoarder's residence, disrupting basic functions of daily life, leading to social exclusion and can pose a danger to the patient and his or her environment. This pathological behavior affects 2.5% of people and is equally common in men and women.
Carolyn Rodriguez, a professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, and her team are trying to help hoarders using virtual reality.
A person with hoarding disorder finds it difficult to give away possessions. Divorce can range from vandalism, donation or even recycling, anything like that causes them extreme fear.
Professor Rodriguez explained.
In the first tests, 9 volunteers participated in a 16-week online group therapy, within which they were assigned cognitive behavioral therapy tasks in the virtual world.
In fact, they practice letting go of different things, which is a step towards getting rid of them in the real world
Rodriguez explained.
Seven of the nine reported a reduction in discomfort.
Rodriguez noted that cognitive behavioral therapy is the best tool for treating hoarding disorder, and as technology advances, virtual reality and augmented reality can complement it very well. It can be a particularly effective tool because patients are often difficult to reach because they live far away, or their homes are dangerous because they already have things piled above shoulder height.
Virtual reality has been used since the 1990s to treat various fears and phobias. According to research, tools that mimic reality can generally be used well to reduce various symptoms of anxiety. At Semmelweis University, for example, they teach schizophrenic patients how to recognize emotions.
(Frontiers in psychiatry, Scripps News)
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