Despite being somewhat stigmatized, AI-based video games have emerged as a useful tool in the treatment of some mental conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Video games, despite their immense popularity, have been somewhat stigmatized since their widespread emergence in the late 1970s. As video games gained traction as a mainstream source of entertainment through the ‘80s and ‘90s, so too did the claims of negative side effects of regular gaming, including poor sleeping habits, obesity, and mental health issues ranging from social anxiety to increased aggression.
However, many of these side effects come as a result of overexposure to gaming. While incessant screentime is rightfully associated with a host of health risks, intermittent gaming has shown to not only be a healthy form of mental stimulation, but also a useful tool in the treatment of some mental conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Video Games as a PTSD Treatment
Researchers at Uppsala University published a study in September 2024 showing that video games can viably be utilized as a PTSD treatment. The study, which focused on 164 participants during the COVID-19 pandemic, was centered around the popular video game Tetris, known for its promotion of a spatial reasoning skill called mental rotation, as a means for suppressing PTSD symptoms. Symptoms most often associated with PTSD include intrusive memories of traumatic events—or flashbacks—and nightmares, along with some physical sensations including trembling, nausea, and increased heart rate.
The participants averaged 15 traumatic episodes per week before the study began. However, five weeks after utilizing Tetris as a form of therapy, they experienced an average of just one flashback per week. Meanwhile, participants in the control group, who were asked to listen to the radio instead of playing Tetris, experienced an average of five flashbacks per week. Six months after treatment, those placed in the Tetris group reported considerably fewer episodes than participants in the control group.
These results aren’t solely unique to Tetris. Another study published in 2022 found that puzzle-based games like Sudoku can also help to promote problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.
Artificial Intelligence Use in Healthcare for PTSD Patients
Artificial intelligence (AI) is woven into the very fibers of gaming, utilized to challenge the human mind in ways traditional technologies simply aren’t capable. Much like Tetris can stimulate the neurons in the brain, so too can other video games that incorporate AI. In fact, some military veterans have even gravitated toward first-person shooters to help cope with PTSD symptoms, as the game’s artificial intelligence recreates the strategic components of war without physical, real-life consequences.
Researchers have also pointed to virtual reality (VR) exposure therapy as another form of therapy for PTSD patients, and AI is even being utilized to predict how patients may respond to these new forms of treatment.
Disadvantages of Artificial Intelligence and Gaming in Healthcare
Though AI-based video games and virtual reality have great potential as tools to help PTSD patients overcome their traumas, these new treatment options are not universally effective. In fact, some patients may experience an exacerbation of side effects while using these therapies. And so optimally, patients should implement traditional treatment strategies and gain professional approval before employing video games and AI as a full-time method of healing.
References:
Kanstrup, M., Singh, L., Leehr, E. J., Göransson, K. E., Pihlgren, S. A., Iyadurai, L., Dahl, O., Falk, A.-C., Lindström, V., Hadziosmanovic, N., Gabrysch, K., Moulds, M. L., & Holmes, E. A. (2024, September 19). A guided single session intervention to reduce intrusive memories of work-related trauma: A randomised controlled trial with healthcare workers in the COVID-19 pandemic - BMC medicine. BioMed Central. https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-024-03569-8
Ting-Sheng, W. (2022). Enhancing problem‐solving ability through a puzzle‐type ... https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/2022/7481798
Symptoms of PTSD - mind. (n.d.). https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd-and-complex-ptsd/symptoms/
Elliott, L., Golub, A., Price, M., & Bennett, A. (2015, August). More than just a game? combat-themed gaming among recent veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder. Games for health journal. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4601548/
Bocci, F., Ferrari, A., & Sarini, M. (2023, June 15). Putting the gaming experience at the center of the therapy-the video game therapy® approach. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10298057/
Colder Carras M;Kalbarczyk A;Wells K;Banks J;Kowert R;Gillespie C;Latkin C;, M., Kalbarczyk, A., Wells, K., Banks, J., Kowert, R., Gillespie, C., & Latkin, C. (n.d.). Connection, meaning, and distraction: A qualitative study of video game play and Mental Health Recovery in veterans treated for mental and/or behavioral health problems. Social science & medicine (1982). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30257787/
Fohlin, K. (2023, October 9). Virtual reality helps veterans relive the past to reclaim their future. WWP News & Media: Veteran Group Outings, Charity Events, Helping Vets. https://newsroom.woundedwarriorproject.org/Virtual-Reality-Helps-Veterans-Relive-the-Past-to-Reclaim-Their-Future
Bell, I. H., Pot-Kolder, R., Rizzo, A., Rus-Calafell, M., Cardi, V., Cella, M., Ward, T., Riches, S., Reinoso, M., Thompson, A., Alvarez-Jimenez, M., & Valmaggia, L. (2024, July 10). Advances in the use of virtual reality to treat mental health conditions. Nature News. https://www.nature.com/articles/s44159-024-00334-9#Ack1
Despite being somewhat stigmatized, AI-based video games have emerged as a useful tool in the treatment of some mental conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).