A VR Game for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders Therapy

Abstract

Virtual Environments (VE) are used more and more for the treatment of phobias. The therapy using VE is starting to be a way of treatment of several types of phobias for people with obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD). People with OCD experience intrusive, unwanted thoughts that cause an increased amount of anxiety and intentional repetitive behaviors that decrease anxiety. The advantage of using a VE to experience and challenge compulsions is that it allows the user to imagine taking the risk without taking a risk. This is also true for the games, where players can face challenges without consequences in real life. This paper presents a virtual reality serious game for OCD therapy. The main purpose of this game is to serve as a tool to expose the patients to stimuli that can trigger OCD symptoms, for example, cleaning, checking and tidying. The game is more oriented for adolescents and younger adults with OCD because this public is more related to new technologies. In addition, OCD affects younger subjects, accompanying them throughout adulthood, generating a very accentuated degree of disability in their routines. A preliminary evaluation of the game was realised with a group of specialists and the results were positive. An evaluation with patients was not yet possible due to Covid-19 restrictions.