Emerging Applications for Immersive Virtual Reality for Mental and Cognitive Health

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) is rapidly emerging as an effective tool with a range of potential applications in mental health Across the edge and psychopathology spectrum. This symposium focuses on outlining the full scope of VR and its potential in enhancing the mental healthcare of older adults. This session will include four talks that will incorporate new data from ongoing studies on applications that include cognitive rehabilitation, implementing psychotherapy interventions for mood disorders and neurocognitive disorders. Collectively, this session will discuss both diagnostic as well as therapeutic applications of VR. The studies presented will include data from a range of clinical settings and populations. This includes work currently being conducted in the United States, Canada, and Ecuador. We will also present data from work in inpatient and outpatient settings. In addition, the presenters will discuss best practices and the process of translating research-based VR protocols into clinical care in the community. The presentations in this session will also incorporate discussion on practical issues such as cost of technology, the process of training clinicians and patients in its use and understanding how they may hold the potential to improve or worsen disparities, depending on how we are implementation is designed in clinical settings. Dr. Moore's presentation will focus on examining the tolerance of virtual reality-based treatment interventions in older adults. Dr. Preston's presentation will focus on evaluating the acceptability of novel ivr based interventions as mental health interventions in older veterans. Dr. Harmehr Sekhon will focus on her work at Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, Canada on using VR for mindfulness in older adults. Dr. Ana Trueba will present data on a project that delivers VR-based psychotherapeutic applications for persons with neurocognitive disorder inpatient settings. This project protocol is being simultaneously implemented at McLean hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts and at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Quito, Ecuador.Finally, Dr. Ipsit Vahia will serve as the session Discussant and lead the audience in a brainstorming session around how VR may best be used to enhance mental health in older adults. The presenters also anticipate having some VR headsets on site sign to provide attendees with a direct immersive experience around how these tools are being deployed in clinical care.