Abstract
The National Institute of Mental Health defined serious mental illness (SMI) as a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder resulting in serious functional impairment that substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities. The literature reveals a knowledge gap about the use of video games as a complementary alternative therapy in treating veterans with SMI. The focus of this paper will discuss and compare research studies and theories on the beneficial use of video games for veterans with SMI. Learning, cognitive, sociological theories, and the symbolic interactionist framework are a few concepts that may guide video gaming. The literature search and findings suggest the VA healthcare system has research entities to support further research and analysis to develop a program geared toward video games as a complementary therapy for veterans with SMI. The purpose of this paper is to call for discussions on the topic of video games as a complementary alternative therapy for veterans with severe mental illness (SMI).
Highlights
The National Institute of Mental Health defined serious mental illness (SMI) as a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder resulting in serious functional impairment that substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities
There is a gap in the literature reflecting the use of video games use with the veteran population with serious mental illness (SMI) as a means of providing a complementary alternative medicine (CAM) modality of mental health therapy
The call or intent of this paper is to advocate for discussions on incorporating or implementing video games as a complementary alternative therapy for veterans with severe mental illness (SMI)
Summary
The literature reveals a knowledge gap about the use of video games as a complementary alternative therapy in treating veterans with SMI. The focus of this paper will discuss and compare research studies and theories on the beneficial use of video games for veterans with SMI. The purpose of this paper is to call for discussions on the topic of video games as a complementary alternative therapy for veterans with severe mental illness (SMI). There is a gap in the literature reflecting the use of video games use with the veteran population with serious mental illness (SMI) as a means of providing a CAM modality of mental health therapy. The call or intent of this paper is to advocate for discussions on incorporating or implementing video games as a complementary alternative therapy for veterans with severe mental illness (SMI). Veterans younger than the Baby Boomer generation who have PTSD and substance abuse disorders spend more time with videos (Bush et al 2015). Bush et al (2015) found video games to be more effective than conventional modalities like cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). Garland et al (2015) presented supporting facts that mindfulness coupled with video games allowed for decentering and psychological distancing from symptoms and stressors
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