Making self-help virtual reality exposure therapy accessible: hardware and design considerations

Virtual Reality Exposure therapy has proven to be as effective as cognitive behavioral therapy with in vivo exposure [1]. Since it is an efficacious and cost effective alternative to in vivo exposure therapy, it can be offered to the clients via software packages containing educational material and self- report questionnaires considering the present state of Virtual Reality technology. This paper aims to identify design considerations and constraints, knowledge of which is highly useful in developing the applications that are accessible user-friendly, require minimal or no therapeutic contact and provide self-help solution to the inaccessibility of anxiety treatment which leads to a massive number of patients being left untreated.