A few weeks ago, I had written a blog on the idea of virtual reality (VR) being used to aid in alleviating the stressors of the world we live in. Could a headset help the friends I knew who were struggling with being around people after COVID? Could it help someone suffering from trauma?
In an article written by Med-Tech News, the idea of using technology to help those suffering with mental health was driven further than just by using VR. Virtual sessions with doctors on video calls were used quite a bit throughout the COVID surge when it first came to be; some people still prefer it.
According to the article, “Evidence gathered throughout the pandemic shows that patients suffering from mental health issues found that travelling to in-person appointments in clinical settings created an additional level of anxiety and stress when deciding whether to access appointment.” Which is understandable, given the distance we had to keep from each other for almost two years.
| Source: NPR.com |
Why Is This Beneficial?
Mental health spans an incredibly broad range of issues, and there is rarely (if ever) a black and white way to handle them. People suffering from addiction often rely on group sessions to cope; face-to-face with peers fighting the same fight. So, while a virtual meeting is not the same as sitting in a group—and, according to NPR, plenty of people prefer in-person visits with health professionals—it is one step closer to the normal that people were familiar with before the pandemic.
If companies can have remote meetings with everyone in session, on screen, and be able to talk to one another—so can health groups. Working remotely does not end with work itself. CEOs can connect to employees, friends can connect to friends, and patients can certainly connect to doctors and support groups whenever necessary.
When life closes off one pathway, it is crucial to find new ones. It is detrimental to stand still. And with the technology available to us in this day and age, there is an abundance of paths we can use to help each other thrive (or, at the very least, cope). Technology is not simply a phone or a computer, and it certainly isn’t just to connect us to our jobs. We live in a time when we can connect to others with the tap of a finger, so it is imperative that ease and access be cast far and wide over corporate, health, social, and any other areas that humanity relies on.
Is it an ideal situation? Depends on who you ask. But the point is, connections between people are possible. And for now, any route toward a better mental health perspective is an outlet that should be used and offered.