A treatment method using an avatar that is effective for intractable illusion as well "AVATAR therapy (avatar therapy)"

There is data that about 65% of patients with schizophrenia are suffering from auditory hallucination (hallucination), and it seems that the words released by others will be arrogant, derogatory and hostile words . Many treatments for hallucinations are effective, but about a quarter of patients are still ineffective. It can be expected for people who suffer from such intractable illusion as "AVATAR Therapy (Avatar Therapy)It is what is called.

AVATAR Therapy for Auditory Hallucinations: If You Can not Beat the Voices, Join Them | MD Magazine
http://www.mdmag.com/medical-news/avatar-therapy-for-auditory-hallucinations-if-you-cant-beat-the-voices-join-them

Avatar therapy is an acronym for "Audio Visual Assisted Therapy Aid for Refractory" (therapy to help with speech and video for intractable illusion), and the National Institutes of Health in the UK from 2009 to 2011 When I was studying how to treat patients suffering from hallucinations,Introduced experimentallyIt began to attract attention from what I did.

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Avatar therapy is based on the fact that the patient who suffers from visual illusion is the "Lord of Voice of Hearing"AvatarIn addition, it is a therapy that enables patients to interact with avatar (auditory hallucination) by reproducing auditory per se itself by voice. The patient can interact with the avatar and the therapist can advise the patient on how to communicate with the auditory hallucination so that the patient can gradually control the visual hallucination.

The results of the trial introduction of therapy show that patients receiving Avatar therapyPsychiatric symptom evaluation scaleThe average number of hallucinations decreased by 8.75 on average. Also, the latestStudy on avatar therapyIn 12 weeks of treatment, 83% of patients have succeeded in reducing the symptoms of hallucination.

Research on the latest avatar therapy was conducted by a research team led by Dr. Tom KJ Craig, a social psychiatrist / emeritus professor at Kings College London. You can see how to treat avatars to patients who actually suffer from illusion by looking at the following movie.

Avatar therapy for schizophrenia - YouTube


This is avatar used in avatar therapy. The voice emitted by Avatar is unlike ordinary listeners that are easy to hear, it is a vague thing that is hard to hear a little bit.


The therapist communicates with the patient through avatar ... ...


Voices are processed and directed to the wind that the avatar is talking about.


The therapist repeats advice, such as "please tell it more strongly", so that the patient can control the illusion.


Of course Avatar changed its appearance, resembles "Who whispering the auditory halo" in the patient ... ...


It is possible to reproduce the hallucination in real by processing voice.


"People who saw the most dramatic effect have completely stopped listening to auditory hallucinations.Even though Julian Leff discovered the effect of avatar therapy in the first trial, I did not expect that avatar therapy would be effective in that, "Dr. Craig said, revealing that it was half-trusting to the effect until actually trying avatar therapy I will. According to Dr. Craig, the most excellent result is "I can not hear audiences", but many other patients also reported that they heard hallucinations less frequently and the whispering contents became mild It is said that it is.


According to the research team led by Dr. Craig, the subjects of the research are those who have been plagued by illusion for many years. All subjects were diagnosed as schizophrenia or depression, and "Hearing is only one of the symptoms suffered by subjects.All subjects who participated in our trial all had medication treatment I was receiving it, "Dr. Craig said. In the study, subjects are given avatar therapy for 12 weeks, and as a result, it is clinically proven that the symptoms of hallucinations can be sustainedly lowered.

However, he acknowledges the limitation of Dr. Craig's avatar treatment, and states that avatar therapy is not a substitute for drug treatment in psychosis. However, in the future there is a good possibility that avatar therapy will play a part of auditory hallucinations and psychosis treatment instead of drug treatment.