Virtual Reality Exposure for PTSD Due to Military Combat and Terrorist Attacks

Albert Rizzo; Judith Cukor; Maryrose Gerardi; Stephanie Alley; Chris Reist; Mike Roy; Barbara O. Rothbaum; Jo Ann Difede

doi:10.1007/s10879-015-9306-3

Virtual Reality Exposure for PTSD Due to Military Combat and Terrorist Attacks

Albert Rizzo^*, Judith Cukor, Maryrose Gerardi, Stephanie Alley, Chris Reist, Mike Roy, Barbara O. Rothbaum, Jo Ann Difede

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

68 Scopus citations

Abstract

Humans exposed to war and terrorist attacks are at risk for the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Numerous reports indicate that the incidence of PTSD in both returning Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) military personnel and survivors of the 9/11 World Trade Center (WTC) attacks is significant. These situations have served to motivate research on how to better develop and disseminate evidence-based treatments for PTSD and other related psychosocial conditions. Virtual reality (VR) delivered exposure therapy for PTSD is currently being used to treat combat and terrorist attack related PTSD with initial reports of positive outcomes. This paper presents an overview and rationale for the use of VR exposure therapy with anxiety disorders and PTSD and describes the status of two systems (Virtual Iraq/Afghanistan and Virtual World Trade Center) developed for this purpose.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	255-264
Number of pages	10
Journal	Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy
Volume	45
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10879-015-9306-3
State	Published - 1 Dec 2015
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

Anxiety disorders
Posttraumatic stress disorder
Prolonged exposure
Virtual reality

Access to Document

10.1007/s10879-015-9306-3

Cite this

@article{7019da152d1c4151b1120c045ff901ad,

title = "Virtual Reality Exposure for PTSD Due to Military Combat and Terrorist Attacks",

abstract = "Humans exposed to war and terrorist attacks are at risk for the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Numerous reports indicate that the incidence of PTSD in both returning Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) military personnel and survivors of the 9/11 World Trade Center (WTC) attacks is significant. These situations have served to motivate research on how to better develop and disseminate evidence-based treatments for PTSD and other related psychosocial conditions. Virtual reality (VR) delivered exposure therapy for PTSD is currently being used to treat combat and terrorist attack related PTSD with initial reports of positive outcomes. This paper presents an overview and rationale for the use of VR exposure therapy with anxiety disorders and PTSD and describes the status of two systems (Virtual Iraq/Afghanistan and Virtual World Trade Center) developed for this purpose.",

keywords = "Anxiety disorders, Posttraumatic stress disorder, Prolonged exposure, Virtual reality",

author = "Albert Rizzo and Judith Cukor and Maryrose Gerardi and Stephanie Alley and Chris Reist and Mike Roy and Rothbaum, {Barbara O.} and Difede, {Jo Ann}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York.",

year = "2015",

month = dec,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1007/s10879-015-9306-3",

language = "English",

volume = "45",

pages = "255--264",

journal = "Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy",

issn = "0022-0116",

number = "4",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Virtual Reality Exposure for PTSD Due to Military Combat and Terrorist Attacks

AU - Rizzo, Albert

AU - Cukor, Judith

AU - Gerardi, Maryrose

AU - Alley, Stephanie

AU - Reist, Chris

AU - Roy, Mike

AU - Rothbaum, Barbara O.

AU - Difede, Jo Ann

PY - 2015/12/1

Y1 - 2015/12/1

N2 - Humans exposed to war and terrorist attacks are at risk for the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Numerous reports indicate that the incidence of PTSD in both returning Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) military personnel and survivors of the 9/11 World Trade Center (WTC) attacks is significant. These situations have served to motivate research on how to better develop and disseminate evidence-based treatments for PTSD and other related psychosocial conditions. Virtual reality (VR) delivered exposure therapy for PTSD is currently being used to treat combat and terrorist attack related PTSD with initial reports of positive outcomes. This paper presents an overview and rationale for the use of VR exposure therapy with anxiety disorders and PTSD and describes the status of two systems (Virtual Iraq/Afghanistan and Virtual World Trade Center) developed for this purpose.

AB - Humans exposed to war and terrorist attacks are at risk for the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Numerous reports indicate that the incidence of PTSD in both returning Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) military personnel and survivors of the 9/11 World Trade Center (WTC) attacks is significant. These situations have served to motivate research on how to better develop and disseminate evidence-based treatments for PTSD and other related psychosocial conditions. Virtual reality (VR) delivered exposure therapy for PTSD is currently being used to treat combat and terrorist attack related PTSD with initial reports of positive outcomes. This paper presents an overview and rationale for the use of VR exposure therapy with anxiety disorders and PTSD and describes the status of two systems (Virtual Iraq/Afghanistan and Virtual World Trade Center) developed for this purpose.

KW - Anxiety disorders

KW - Posttraumatic stress disorder

KW - Prolonged exposure

KW - Virtual reality

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84944352969&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/s10879-015-9306-3

DO - 10.1007/s10879-015-9306-3

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84944352969

SN - 0022-0116

VL - 45

SP - 255

EP - 264

JO - Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy

JF - Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy

IS - 4

ER -

Virtual Reality Exposure for PTSD Due to Military Combat and Terrorist Attacks

Abstract

Keywords

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Cite this