Treating Traumatic Stress with Videogames 78
garzpacho writes "Doctors at the Virtual Reality Medical Center are using VR video games to treat post-traumatic stress disorder among vets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The software behind the treatment incorporates elements from the military training video game Full Spectrum Warrior, and had some input from designers of America's Army. From the article: 'Dr. Dennis Wood takes patients on what some might consider an odd journey. He starts off leading them to a military compound in Fallujah, Iraq. He then guides them through an Iraqi marketplace before they accompany a patrol through Iraqi homes. And if he thinks they're up to it, he may even take them onto a battlefield, in the midst of explosions and aircraft flying overhead.'"
But... (Score:5, Insightful)
What if my Post Traumatic Stress was caused by video games? [slashdot.org]
Actually I found any game I played too much of could really mess me up for a few days. Muds were terrible for going around unconciously assessing what level people were and how many experience and gold I could get if I snuffed 'em.
Now I stick to simple strategy [magnodyne.com] games [sourceforge.net] which only give me unconscious reflexive behaviour to want real estate in bright, shiny primary colours.
"oh, blue! want that!" "hmm the intersection of ocean and water looks like a good place to harvest wool, wheat and wood"
I'd probably have post traumatic stress if I even came close to one of these [wikipedia.org]
Messed up (Score:3, Insightful)
Our leaders (most who have never seen combat) send our children to fight in a hellhole. The troops get blown to shit, the President attends none of their funerals and the one's that survive, we fly them home and let them play video games to cope.
Re:Messed up (Score:1, Offtopic)
Our leaders (most who have never seen combat) send our children to fight in a hellhole. The troops get blown to shit, the President attends none of their funerals and the one's that survive, we fly them home and let them play video games to cope.
And it's all funded by bonds held by the chinese. Makes you wonder who is/was more in the pocket of the PRC, Clinton or Bush.
Re:Messed up (Score:1)
Health insurance buys you an XBox??? (Score:2)
Re:Health insurance buys you an XBox??? (Score:2)
There's a reason you're frightened... (Score:1)
Re:But... (Score:2)
Like the several times I have dreamed the Quake 1 Cross hair and/or being the Quake guy?
Dude, see a good shrink (Score:4, Insightful)
Heh. I'm used to exaggeration and hype, but this has got to take the crown. I really don't think you really mean that.
Post Traumatic Stress [wikipedia.org] isn't just about "oh, I'm so stressed that my penis size... err... level isn't the highest in the game." It's about intense psychological trauma caused by a believable threat of imminent death, severe physical injury, or something of that order of magnitude. We're taking the kind of stress that happens when the enemy is shelling your position with artillery or MRLS, or a tank is coming at you and the heaviest weapon you have is a SAW, or you see someone's brains blown out before your very eyes, or you get to storm a house and see what a grenade can do in a closed room (there are WW2 veterans who still break down into tears if you ask them about that), or whatever similarly serious.
Again, we're not talking just "stress", but the "OMG, I'm DEAD one way or another" kind of being scared shitless for your very life and limb. We're talking intense _terror_ where you see no way out. That kind of thing.
If you get that kind of pure mind-paralyzing terror out of a MUD, and for such a mundane reason as xp and levels... please don't take it as an insult, but as friendly advice: see a good psychiatrist ASAP. If just comparing your score or level to someone else's can trigger such a massively disproportionate reaction, you have major problems. Seriously.
That or keep your hyperboles less over-the-top if it was just a hyperbole.
It's all ok... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:It's all ok... (Score:2, Funny)
The war in Iraq/Iran/Syria was just a game, nobody *REALLY* got hurt. Now go home and watch some tv... Shhh, it was just a game...
I'm waiting for the game based upon this episode of history. I expect it will be named With Us or Against Us
Re:It's all ok... (Score:3, Funny)
How times have changed... (Score:5, Interesting)
Model railroading worked a lot better than the George S. Patton school of rehabilitation.
I hope these simulated video environments truly help those soldiers who served our country.
Re:How times have changed... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:How times have changed... (Score:1)
Right, because after all the soldiers died, no one with ambition would ever be born again. Our soldiers aren't saints. But they are our soldiers, and they are absolutely necessary for the preservation of American liberty. A country without an active and healthy military is a country asking to be conquered. Do we have a lot to fear from Canada and Mexico? No, not really--but that historical pr
Re:How times have changed... (Score:2)
Re:How times have changed... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:How times have changed... (Score:2)
If in other countries happened the same demilitairisation, then no other country would attack. You just have to get out of your 'pre-emptive strike' routine: not all countries support pre-emptive strikes.
Re:How times have changed... (Score:2)
Wow. That's possibly the most egregious example of a false dichotomy I've ever seen. As if the only possible alternatives were:
a) I agree to blindly follow every order (no matter how illegal, immoral or just plain flat-out stupid), or
b) I cower under the bed and cry, as the the (Mexican? Canadian?) Legions of Doom swagger through Times Square setting fire to puppies.
Here's one idea off the top of my head: by signing up, you a
Re:How times have changed... (Score:4, Insightful)
The thing is, there is a very large part of this country that does not believe that what the military is currently doing in a couple places is doing anything to help protect the United States. Some believe it is hurting the United States, others believe it was started for immoral reason. Now, the military did not decide to take those actions, the President did, but at minimum, any soldier who joined after the beginning of hostilities in Iraq should have went in full well knowing what he was supporting. There is nothing immoral in opposing this war, or soldiers who knowingly supported it. Somehow in this country we have decided that soldiers are sacred, and that an individual is not morally culpable if he willingly gives up his own freedom of conscience with knowledge and hands it over to the President. If you intentionally kill, you are responsible. That doesn't mean you are wrong, and it doesn't mean that sometime people don't have to do awful things, but every individual has responsibilty for their actions, and being a soldier in service to a government does nothing to change that. Just because a soldier believes he is serving his country does not mean that he always is. The only garuntee is that a soldier serves the President and government. Those people may or may not be directing the military in a way that serves the country. Rhetoric has conflated the 2, such that now we must always agree that, of course the soldier is serving the country. When directed properly, soldiers do more than anyone to serve this country, I have no doubt of that. Their job requires more sacrifice than potentially any other.
Now, you look at the U.S. military budget, I am not going to blame individual soldiers for the military budget. Still though, compared to every other nation on Earth, the U.S. does have an absurdly high military budget. This is money that is used in part to fund killing many of us oppose. Money that could either be given back to us, or could be used to directly help people here at home. Many would feel better if their money were used to help the needy in the US instead of kill people in the Middle East. Even if you think that is oversimplified, or do not agree, I think you can understand the outlook of such people.
You also discount this "it made the rest of the world hate me" aspect, but I think it is also a valid concern. The more of the world that hates me, the more of the world that will wish me harm. Also, I do not wish harm to be done to others in my name, I don't want to piss people off unnecessarily. Call that arrogant and selfish if you wish, but I see nothing wrong with that.
Also, I do not wish to see you beaten in the middle of the street.
Re:How times have changed... (Score:2)
The problem is that every decision a human being makes is based on a certain level of trust: trust that your senses aren't lying to you, that your reasoning is correct and faculties are in tact, and that you are not being willfully deceived by those who give you the information on which you base your judgements.
So in response to this:
Re:How times have changed... (Score:2)
I must agree with you about those giving the orders. It is true that the soldier is in a position where he can be easily coerced, and the whole weight of the military justice system can seriously mess up his life should he refuse orders he personally finds immoral. Additionally you are right that they are the ones in the thick of the most stress inducing, psychologically taxing, and life threatening action where it is difficult to be able to make such decisions anyways, due to peer pressures and jus
Re:How times have changed... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:How times have changed... (Score:2)
Hope I am not taking this too far. I still am wary of this respect and admiration thing. I can understand that if someone honestly believes they are protecting and helping me out, I should appreciate their intentions, and that they do so at great risk to themselves makes this more the case. I don't know what this means for me if I were to address a soldier though, other than that I should not assume bad intentions, that maybe I acknowledge their good intentions instead of taking a hostile attit
Re:How times have changed... (Score:2)
Re:How times have changed... (Score:3, Insightful)
Commanders and Generals depend on their men obeying unquestioned. That is drilled into every serviceman from ground up.
War may be ugly, but more dangerous is disobedience. Many more lives depend on men following orders unquestioningly.
Of course the assumption is the brass is more wiser and more intelligent (which it is not today).
How would you like during the middle of serious combat in C&C Generals ZH, if your Comanche helicopter refused to fi
Re:How times have changed... (Score:2)
Re:How times have changed... (Score:2)
Re:How times have changed... (Score:1)
The moral that came out of WWII was the opposite of this - that those who execute orders are just as responsible as those give them. Nazis were fond of giving the excuse 'I was just following orders' when accused of war crimes. The Nuremberg trials established the precendent that such an excuse is not valid; it is the duty of anyon
Re:How times have changed... (Score:2)
Re:How times have changed... (Score:1)
While they didn't specifically choose to go to Iraq, they are still responsable for being there.
My personal outlook on the army has always
Re:How times have changed... (Score:1)
Help (Score:2)
Re:Help (Score:1)
Because they will be coming home. We should not discard them like we did to our Vietnam veterans.
Oh, there is very little thinking going on in Washington. Even though he never served in the military, VP Dick Cheney does indeed need healing. I recommend we submit him to endless Halo challenge matches, fully connected to biofeedback devices that
Missed (Score:2)
Re:How times have changed... (Score:2, Insightful)
Who served the government, the country had different opinion about this war.
Re:How times have changed... (Score:1)
And no matter where you live, there you are. And when in Rome you do like the Romans. And Romans liked bloodsport--lots and lots of bloody games.
Video games are our modern form of bloodsport, and if they can be altered to do something good for people who need assistance, then that's a positive development.
Tit for tat (Score:3, Funny)
umm,,.... (Score:2, Funny)
It didn't work out so well for lawnmowerman, or did it?
Looking foward (Score:1)
Re:Looking foward (Score:1)
Mmmm (Score:3, Interesting)
Imagine if this immersive techneque really worked, and they tried it for other things; some how I don't think they would get away with showing rape PTSD victims Urotsukidoji - Legend of the Overfiend [wikipedia.org]
Move over Janov, let propranolol take a load off (Score:3, Informative)
Neuromancer flashback (Score:1)
It's not too hard (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:It's not too hard (Score:2)
Provoking? (Score:2)
Actually, I'd say that's one of the most obvious comments ever made in the context of war.
I'll tell you how I justify it to myself. Maybe that will help you understand. It doesn't sound like you care to, from that comment, but someone else might be illuminated.
We're here to eliminate the power of remaining Taliban forces (and their allies) to wage war on the elected government of Afghanistan or any other nati
stress caused by video games? (Score:1)
The oldest new in the Business: /. (Score:2, Informative)
Similar Treatments (Score:5, Interesting)
Once she was finally able to go home, she discovered that different games she played affected her sense of balance in different ways. Two notable examples were Ultima Online and World of Warcraft. The isometric graphics of UO were easily tolerated. WoW quickly made her dizzy. We mentioned this to her rehab doctor who ordered her to add WoW to her routine of home exercises.
It wasn't the first time we had run in to this advice. We had a contact with Space Medicine at NASA. They had expressed some interest in my wife's condition since the issue of balance is something they work with extensively. One of the interesting side effects of extended space travel is having to become readjusted to gravity; essentially recalibrating your body to properly interpret the effects of gravity. Astronauts will often find themselves easily disoriented and quick to lose their balance during this period of time (it seems to be more pronounced in less-experienced astronauts). One of the treatments to speed recovery is watching a video of motion while running on a treadmill. The video perspective often shifts, challenging the patient's system to properly interpret conflicting perceptions. Our NASA doctor friend saw the issue that he dealt with as very similar to what my wife was experiencing.
The underlying issue is programing behavioral response. In my wife's case, she is having to re-learn her way around damage. In the Astronauts, they are having to re-learn how to handle stimulus that they had become used to ignoring. I would imagine the soldiers are also re-learning to interpret things in different ways.
Re:Similar Treatments (Score:1, Informative)
I am truly sorry about that. My best hopes and wishes go out to you and her. You might want to consider additional [newscientist.com] treatments [nationalmssociety.org].
Again, all my hopes and wishes that you both are able to weather that one shitting disease.
huh? (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:huh? (Score:1)
good idea (Score:1)
Well that explains a few things.... (Score:1, Informative)
Games take your mind off of reality and allows existance in a safe place for awhile; if that place is not safe then it is indee
Afraid of the dark? (Score:1)
Post Traumatic Gaming Syndrome (Score:1)
Not Sure... (Score:1)
My parents went through a year of REALLY BAD fighting and I believe I had some mild form of PTSD myself, and would jump/ my heart would race whenever I heard a door slam, or a loud bang, or anyone at all yelling. Even a sudden voice that was somewhat loud would temporarily panic me. I can't believe that watching people yell in real life or on tv or a game would calm me. The on
One treatment after another (Score:2)
PTSD: or, "I'm f*cking sick of killing and death" (Score:2)
For those miserables whose humanity was stolen from them in this war, however, the aftermath of mass murder is somewhat less of an occasion for sanguine techno-speculation. And so is it for us: as these shattered men rotate back into civilian life, we will see familiar patterns of depression, joblessness, drug addiction, domestic vi
Video Games to Treat PTSD - Civilian Gunea Pig (Score:1)
Great. Now all I need is a specialized version of the software that leads the user through a forced interrogation where 2 JTF2 officers (Canadian Army), 1 JTF (American), and 2 regular Canadian Army hold you in a van in Toronto for 90 minutes and interrogate you using torture:
Re:Video Games to Treat PTSD - Civilian Gunea Pig (Score:1)