Evaluating Psychosis In Non-native Dutch
Winter 2009 : consultative investigation for employers client
This project was aimed at investigating the boundaries and possibilities of setting up a local virtual world, allowing a psychologist to use the environment to assess clients with symptoms of psychosis. By using a reproducible, virtual experience that clients are exposed to, it will be possible create a benchmark for the way in which clients react to stimuli that are programmed into the world.
The disorder affects more non-dutch inhabitants of large dutch cities than it affects people with dutch roots. The intended study would therefor focus on clients with arabic, african or asian backgrounds, and their reactions to a virtual world construction of inner city rebuilds of the The Hague, the dutch city the study is being held in.
The setup for running the trials would involve using 3D glasses, projecting the world around you and increasing the level of immersion. Feedback from the trials would be captured by camera on the client, camera in-world, biometric feedback and their personal report on the experience.
The project resulted in a document of advise that has been used in requesting funds to start clinical trials to evaluate the use of virtual world technology as a basis for treatment of psychosis.
