£3 million has been funded toward projects generating immersive VR headsets for mental health therapeutics across the UK
Mental health problems are experienced by one in four people each year in the UK, but only one in eight adults with a mental health problem are currently getting any kind of treatment.
Research finds that therapy through VR headsets can achieve better mental health outcomes up to two to three times faster than traditional treatments.
Along with cutting NHS wait times, these VR (virtual reality) headsets can also improve access to services and reduce the severity of some mental health condition symptoms.
Numerous funded projects are now in operation across the UK, using a variety of immersive technology like VR headsets, remote touch, music and sounds, and mobile gaming.
The VR projects will support mental health conditions such as:
- Bipolar disorder
- Psychosis
- Autism
- Dementia
- Anxiety
The UK’s £20 million Mindset programme
The Mindset programme has a budget of £20 million and will grow the nascent immersive digital mental health sector by investing in projects which deliver immersive digital mental health therapeutics.
Set to create a supportive ecosystem in trusts, the program will help companies bring these VR headsets and other digital innovations to the healthcare market.
The first 29 projects in Innovate UK’s Mindset programme will address current mental health needs across all ages with immersive digital mental health therapeutic innovations.
Some of the mental health projects include:
- Wales-based Rescape is a programme providing pain management via VR for inpatients and outpatients. This project will use music content and artificial intelligence (AI) to create a personalised VR solution for people experiencing symptoms of anxiety, to build mental resilience.
- XR Therapeutics is providing services to three NHS trusts with application content to neuroatypical adults and children. The project involves using VR headsets to help children with autism or phobias.
- SyncVR will create the world’s first mood management application to be used on VR headsets for supporting high risk patients waiting for mental health care in London.
“Immersive technologies could transform the way care is provided”
George MacGinnis, UK Research and Innovation Healthy Ageing Challenge Director, at Innovate UK said: “A warm welcome to the innovators who have won grants in our first call to develop immersive mental health therapeutics.
“As we see demand for mental health support outstrip the capacity of health services around the world, solutions using immersive technologies could transform the way care is provided.
“These new tools provide clinicians the ability to deliver a more engaging experience, improve access to care and enable those clinicians to see and treat more patients effectively.
“The UK has a huge talent devoted to developing immersive digital experiences and applying this to create novel solutions for mental health could be a real game-changer.”
