Mind and the metaverse

Hopefully, the year 2023 will bring with itself a whole lot of promises and positivity. What cannot be dismissed is the fact that despite the slight respite from the pandemic, the world is still grappling with mental health issues.

According to WHO, nearly one billion people have diagnosable mental health disorders, like depression, anxiety, substance use disorder, psychosis and more. As per a survey carried out this year around World Mental Health Day, nearly 80 per cent of the Indian workforce reported mental health issues of varying degrees. The scale of mental disorders in India accounts for nearly 15 per cent of the global mental health burden.

The current aim and trends are at spreading awareness and making mental healthcare affordable and accessible. Many significant changes have really happened in the field of mental health in the last few years, especially in the field of technology. Where does the future of technology in mental health take us? Let us take a look into 2023 and beyond.

What is tele-mental health?

With the growing Internet services around the world, the use of telecommunication or videoconferencing can be made to provide mental health services seamlessly to those who stay in remote areas, or have difficulty in visiting physical locations of healthcare. Even though these services were available before the pandemic, they were highlighted during this period and continue to be used.

Advantages

* Lesser wait time;

* No commute;

* Saving on costs for a loss of pay at work (to visit the doctor’s office);

* Can be useful for those with ASD (autism spectrum disorder) at times as they find their own houses and familiar environments much safe;

* Those with agoraphobia and anxiety disorder also find solace in being in the comfort and not having to commute or wait;

* The practitioners also get an insight into the lives of the person by having the access to seeing their homes.

Barriers to tele mental health: A poor Internet service is the biggest barrier along with paucity of privacy or space to connect from.

Who can offer these services? A trained psychiatrist, psychologist, mental health nurse, occupational therapist, special educators.

Metaverse

What is the metaverse?

The term ‘metaverse’ was first coined in Neal Stephenson’s 1992 sci-fi novel ‘Snow Cash’, where he described it as “the virtual reality world that will come to be as ubiquitous and important as the Internet is today.”

A portmanteau of ‘meta’ and ‘universe’, with a subtle reference to another big virtual universe. In the metaverse, artificial intelligence (AI) is combined with augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) for varied applications. In terms of healthcare, this can reduce the barriers between hospitals and patients. It is predicted that by 2030, the healthcare metaverse market will grow to be worth USD 5.37 billion.

How does it work?

In the health metaverse, gamification and personalization will be key in order to connect and

bring healthcare providers and consumers together. Metaverse is an immersive 3D virtual world, boasting of the features of the real

world with the added ability to change the surrounding environment. Imagine a hospital visit

without physically visiting the

place; being able to interact with the doctors, seeing your scans on a shared display and making a treatment plan within the comforts of your home.

Mental health and metaverse

A doctor and patient can sit across each other miles apart and interact with their true self or virtual avatars. The 3D replicas of comfort of clinics can be made available along with access to varied biofeedback and sensory support. It is extremely useful and convenient for therapy and for offering a safe space of support to clients.

Validated uses for metaverse in the field of mental health

* Agoraphobia;

* Social anxiety;

* PTSD;

* Compliance tracking for regular treatment;

* Immersive spaces for yoga, art therapy;

* Group therapy sessions.

Flipsides of excessive use of metaverse

* Behavioural addiction;

* Physical aches and pains (eyes and neck);

* Phantom sensations;

* Depersonalisation;

* Isolation, depression and anxiety from excessive dependence;

* Poor attention span;

* Touch starvation;

* Injuries.

India has forayed into this domain of combining healthcare and metaverse with the launch of its first ever hospital on the metaverse.

Neuralink

This company is cofounded by Elon Musk, and experiments are still in its nascent stages.

A revolutionary concept of implanting brain computer interfaces, claiming to help those with neurological and psychiatric issues. Its current claimed uses are helping those with quadriplegia regain movement access, helping disabled patients to communicate and even restore vision.

Technology is here to stay and can be both boon and bane. Hence, balance remains the key operative word in terms of mental health.

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