9/25, 1:30 - 4:30 pm Albert "Skip" Rizzo, Ph.D. Integrated Media Systems Center and School of Gerontology University Of Southern California 3715 McClintock Ave. MC-0191 Los Angeles, CA. 90089 213-740-9819 arizzo@usc.edu Virtual environment (VE) technology has undergone a transition in the past few years that has taken it out of the realm of expensive toy and into that of functional technology. Recently, in the field of Mental Healthcare (MH), the considerable potential of VEs has been recognized for the scientific study, assessment/diagnosis, and treatment/rehabilitation of a wide range of mental disorders and functional impairments (1,2). Unfortunately, media hype oversold the potential of Virtual Reality during the early-to-mid 90's, building expectations that were impossible to satisfy with the technology of that time. However, as the technology has recently developed, examples of successful MH applications have emerged and R&D in this area has accelerated. Indeed, in a recent NIH report (3) of the National Advisory Mental Health Council, the impact of virtual reality environments on human functioning was specifically cited with the recommendation that: "Research is needed to understand both the positive and negative effects of such participation on children's and adults' perceptual and cognitive skills..." (p.51). Thus far, promising results have been reported applying VE technology for the assessment and treatment of social, emotional, behavioral, cognitive, and functional mental health targets. A shortlist of these applications includes the assessment and treatment of phobias (i.e., flying, heights, closed spaces, public speaking, etc.), obsessive-compulsive disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, pain management, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and a wide range of cognitive impairments due to central nervous system damage or dysfunction. Training of functional life skills and instrumental activities of daily living with impaired populations has also yielded encouraging results. These approaches have produced assessment and treatment options that were unavailable, or prohibitively expensive, using traditional methods. With the recent advances in computing power, rendering capability, and display technology, we are now able to produce less expensive and more accessible systems that exploit the unique assets available with VEs to target mental health disorders. These applications could serve to reduce the escalating personal, societal, and economic costs of these mental health concerns. This half-day tutorial will provide a general introduction to a wide variety of mental health disorders, and present the rationale for the use of VR in these areas. Key ingredients that are available with VR for targeting mental disorders including exposure, distraction, and complex immersive interaction will be discussed and analyzed. An extensive review of VR/Mental Health applications will follow with analysis of the "additive-value" of these systems over traditional methodologies. The tutorial will conclude with the presentation of a model for conducting a pragmatic and clinically-oriented cost/benefit analysis for determining the potential value of VR applications for specific MH targets and a hands-on HMD demonstration will be available for participants. Level / Prerequisites: none. Albert "Skip" Rizzo Albert "Skip" Rizzo is a clinical psychologist and assistant professor at the University of Southern California's Integrated Media Systems Center and School of Gerontology. His current clinical and research interests involve the use of advanced computer interface technology (i.e., Virtual Reality) for mental health treatment, neuropsychological assessment, and cognitive rehabilitation. Presently, he is heading up a research group which is developing and evaluating the usefulness/feasibility of Virtual Reality systems addressing cognitive processes, pain management and social anxiety disorders. Dr. Rizzo is also involved in examining gender and hormonal factors that influence cognition and dementia. Additionally, he has developed and facilitates an ongoing program for memory enhancement with the aged and with persons with traumatic head injuries. His interest in Virtual Reality and mental health stems from his previous work developing and implementing cognitive rehabilitation programs for clients with traumatic head injuries and conducting traditional psychotherapy. He feels that an ideally suited match exists for VR applications in the cognitive behavioral assessment/rehabilitation/therapy areas, and has presented and published numerous papers in these areas. He is the associate editor of the journal, CyberPsychology and Behavior and is also on the editorial boards of The International Journal of Virtual Reality, Presence, and Cognitive Technology, and is the owner/manager of the Virtual Reality Mental Health Email Listserver (VRPSYCH).