Virtual Reality Can Help Treat Anxiety and Depression w/ Dr. Nilufar Baghaei: October 27, 2021

Virtual reality has been around for quite a while now. It was created in the late 1960’s and became commercially available in the 1990s. However, Virtual Reality is still a very new technology that is continuing to be explored in many different avenues. One of those avenues, for example, is in treating mental health conditions. According to a new study led by Computer Science Senior Lecturer, Dr. Nilufar Baghaei, and co-authored by PhD student Vibhav Chitale, VR has been found to be an effective treatment method for anxiety and depression. This study examined the ways VR interventions and exposure can affect a person’s mental health, and how effective they have been as a treatment method. 

Zazi spoke with the lead researcher in this study, Dr. Nilufar Baghei. She is a Senior Lecturer in Computer Science and the Director of Games and Extended Reality Lab at Massey University. Her research interests include Game-based Learning, XR, and AI in Education and Persuasive Technology. Zazi spoke with her to hear more about this research surrounding Virtual Reality and mental health, to see what this new research could mean for the future of mental health treatments.