Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality

Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality

Abstract

Artificial intelligence and virtual intelligence have been used as alternative ways of managing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) by supplementing traditional methods such as general counseling, which have been presenting several loopholes. PTSD is a common condition among veterans and victims of trauma and the traditional methods have not been producing the expected results. The most common method of diagnosis is through interviews where victims are expected to provide information that is required to guide the medical professionals. Also, the diagnostic methods used for PTSD have been posing challenges such as delayed results leading to diagnosis at advanced levels of the condition. The application of artificial intelligence in the treatment of PTSD has resulted in improved management of the condition among patients. On the other side, virtual intelligence involves victims being assessed by taking images of the minds to identify the type of trauma they are experiencing. The two technologies have been used to supplement traditional methods such as general counseling, which have been presenting several loopholes.

Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality

The human mind possesses unlimited power that allows humanity to remain on top of the universe. The decisions made with the aid of the human mind are responsible for the direction that the world takes. Human beings usually determine the extent to which they will utilize their minds, although factors such as limited resources may affect the results obtained from using the human brain. Various developments in technology have been made with the aid and format of the human mind. Some of the techniques that have been built to imitate the operation of the human mind are artificial intelligence and virtual reality. Artificial intelligence appears to be an effort to develop machines that behave like human beings, while virtual reality involves creating an experience that is either similar or different from the reality. Artificial intelligence and virtual intelligence have been used as alternative ways of managing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) by supplementing traditional methods such as general counseling, which have been presenting several loopholes.

The application of the knowledge on the operation of the human mind has proved effective in coming up with several technologies. Generally, artificial intelligence is one of the most recent attempts by the human race to have machines that can replace them in carrying out certain tasks (BrainLine, 2019). Although artificial intelligence leaves the aspect of consciousness in the development of technology, the results appear to have imitated an entire application of the human mind. For example, robots are programmed to carry out tasks that would require the input of the human mind, although the robots do not show consciousness. Also, artificial intelligence is crucial in the development of virtual reality technology. Generally, virtual reality involves creating an experience that is either similar or different from reality.  The idea behind virtual reality is that people have a way of finding adventure in an environment where reality is brought closer than it is, or where reality is replaced with an imagined world. Moreover, artificial intelligence and virtual reality have been applied intensively in the management of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental problem and poses a challenge when a victim seeks medical attention. PTSD is associated with the aftermath of a traumatic or stressful experience where the victim does not recover as expected. Besides, PTSD is associated with severe symptoms that require that the victim should be taken through a series of treatment options to help them in the journey towards recovery (Mayo Clinic, 2019). Generally, individuals respond differently to PTSD and symptoms, therefore, appear differently among individuals. For example, some people will show symptoms of PTSD in less than a month after exposure to the traumatic event, while others will show no symptoms until after several years after exposure. Some of the treatment options that have been in place for the management of PTSD are counseling and social support. Individuals with PTSD generally appear anti-social and end up in most cases, thinking about their traumatic experiences, exposing them to further danger. However, most of the management approaches are non-medical and are not effective in the management of PTSD. Artificial intelligence and virtual reality have been applied in the field of medicine to help people living with PTSD to recover, although both approaches have been presenting different results.

The application of artificial intelligence in the treatment of PTSD has resulted in improved management of the condition among patients. PTSD is generally associated with the human mind, and thus an approach that involves improving the functioning of the human mind is set to have favorable fruits. One of the challenges facing the treatment of PTSD is the diagnosis. Generally, laboratory tests cannot be used to diagnose PTSD, and thus victims may be misdiagnosed (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2014).  However, artificial intelligence offers a chance to diagnose PTSD patients by using their voices. The development of a machine that can analyze the voices of individuals to show whether or not they have PTSD requires the application of PTSD. Besides, the traditional methods of diagnosis have been subject to biases since results have been subjective. The interviews between victims and medical professionals have been ending with wrong results as individuals fail to disclose crucial information that would be used for treatment purposes. Therefore, the introduction of artificial intelligence in the diagnosis of PTSD is a significant step towards the successful management of the condition. Moreover, the vocal changes witnessed among PTSD patients are essential in coming up with tools that can be used to show the individuals affected by PTSD.

Exposure to traumatic experiences has been associated with vocal changes among individuals. The change in vocal characteristics of individuals presents an opportunity for artificial intelligence to come in to diagnose PTSD. Generally, artificial intelligence aids in the development of an algorithm that can identify vocal characteristics that are associated with PTSD. The use of vocal characteristics outdoes the loopholes associated with other diagnostic approaches. For example, the use of interviews as a diagnostic approach presents a challenge based on subjectivity.  Besides, the tone, enunciation, and pacing of an individual with PTSD are unique and provide accurate results if analyzed effectively. Moreover, PTSD can also be diagnosed through laboratory tests with the aid of artificial intelligence.

Laboratory diagnosis has been one of the conventional approaches to diagnosing ailments. However, PTSD has not been associated with easy diagnosis in the laboratory. Besides, PTSD is associated with a mental disorder that does not appear to have a laboratory diagnosis approach. However, artificial intelligence has introduced a laboratory approach to diagnosing PTSD. One of the characteristics of individuals with PTSD is that they have unique bloodstream markers. Artificial intelligence comes in to identify the bloodstream markers associated with PTSD. Generally, the bloodstream markers provide an avenue for carrying out blood screening to present reliable results on the diagnosis of PTSD. Generally, laboratory results are more reliable compared to interviews. Also, the expression among people living with PTSD forms the most significant part of artificial intelligence intervention. Most of the researches that have been done in the past have suffered from small samples in their studies. However, recent studies have employed significant samples to overcome the challenges faced in the previous researches. Generally, the ability to test gene expressions and bloodstream markers is essential in making PTSD diagnosable in the laboratory. Moreover, the diagnosis of PTSD is faster if done using artificial intelligence, and the results are reliable.

One of the challenges facing the management of PTSD is delayed results in the event of diagnosis. The most common method of diagnosis is through interviews where victims are expected to provide information that is required to guide the medical professionals (Tull, 2019). However, the analysis of the information provided by the victims may be complicated, owing to the setbacks associated with the information provided. For example, victims may easily provide misleading information to avoid being taken to rehabilitation centers. Also, some of the information needed for diagnosis may be personal, and victims may be reluctant to provide such information. Therefore, the diagnosis of PTSD has been suffering from challenges associated with poor data quality. Artificial intelligence comes in to provide a solution to such challenges. Moreover, virtual reality has also been used in the diagnosis of PTSD, and the results have been positive in most cases.

The application of virtual reality is similar to that of artificial intelligence in that people living with PTSD are assessed on their state of mind. Virtual intelligence involves victims being assessed by taking images of the minds to identify the type of trauma they are experiencing. However, the diagnosis is not the most important part of the process. Patients who have already been diagnosed with PTSD are taken through a Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) to manage their situation. The traditional methods of diagnosis have been providing unreliable results that have also been leading to poor treatment of the condition. For example, the different types of trauma require different treatment approaches, and a case of misdiagnosis may make a victim receive the wrong treatment option. Virtual reality is essential in ensuring that the right diagnosis is made and that victims receive the correct type of treatment. VRET has a way of addressing the symptoms associated with PTSD, and the victim is assured of complete recovery at the end of the therapy. Moreover, VRET addresses the behaviors that a victim regularly shows due to trauma; hence is an effective method of treatment.

PTSD is associated with several instances of behavioral change. The behaviors that individuals acquire due to trauma may be dangerous to the individuals, other people, or even to society. For example, PTSD may make an individual aggressive and short-tempered (Gore, 2014). The impacts of being short-tempered may be disastrous if not well-handled. An individual may infringe harm to self or others due to anger if they are not trained on how to manage it. Also, PTSD patients tend to grow anti-social over time, a nature that destroys their relationship with friends and relatives. Virtual reality provides a method of addressing by training individuals to avoid fear and increased anxiety that come out due to certain events. For example, victims of rape may be afraid of getting into relationships or even going out on dates since they fear a repeat of the events that exposed them to trauma. Another factor associated with trauma is avoidance behavior, which can be treated through virtual reality. Generally, virtual reality helps an individual to confront situations that are responsible for their situations.

The treatment of PTSD requires that an individual confronts the situations that exposed them to their current state. Virtual reality creates a virtual world that is either similar to reality or even far from reality in a bid to help the individual to become strong. The confrontation process is, however, not easy for people with PTSD (Mann, Furness, Yuan, Iorio & Wang, 2018). Situations such as direct combat may come out more severe if an individual is confronted, and therefore a well-structured process is required. Virtual reality comes in to confront individuals against situations that may not be easy to deal with in the long run. The confrontation process involves exposing the victim to situations that may appear frightening in real life. Generally, the environment created during virtual reality helps an individual to overcome their fear in a situation where their strength is at maximum. Moreover, virtual reality aims to create a computerized virtual environment that takes the victim back to situations that exposed them to trauma.

Virtual reality imitates the operation of the human mind by creating a virtual environment through a computer. The mind of the individual is immersed in a computer-generated environment to give them an indication of a previous situation (Rizzo & Shilling, 2017). An automated room is fitted with images that aid in developing an environment that is similar to the traumatic situations that the individual went through. Usually, the virtual room creates experiences that are unsafe for revisiting in real life. The individuals are gradually trained on the effective response required if symptoms come up due to the experiences. Generally, virtual reality technology is effective and significantly reduces the symptoms associated with PTSD. Moreover, virtual reality is developed from artificial intelligence, and thus a direct comparison may not be effective in making choices on the best method to employ.

The application of artificial intelligence and virtual reality has been a contentious issue with individuals challenging the decision to introduce virtual reality. Artificial intelligence involves imitating the human mind in technology to come up with machines that can carry out activities that should be done by human beings (Thor, 2019). Virtual reality, on the other side, uses artificial intelligence to create a virtual environment that is similar or different from reality. Although a comparison between artificial intelligence may not be effective, the two technologies appear to have different applications. Besides, the results obtained from the two technologies differ significantly when used to address situations such as PTSD. For example, artificial intelligence aids in the laboratory diagnosis of PTSD, while virtual reality provides a computerized scanning of the mind to identify the type of trauma affecting the individual. Although both cases have limitations, virtual reality appears to be more reliable. Also, virtual reality is more expensive compared to artificial intelligence. Generally, the cost of virtual intelligence can only be compared to artificial intelligence if the only diagnosis is to be done, and no therapy is offered. Furthermore, artificial intelligence is used to develop the technology used in virtual reality. Therefore, virtual reality relies on the success of artificial intelligence to deliver quality services.

In sum, artificial intelligence and virtual intelligence have been used as alternative ways of managing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The two technologies have been used to supplement traditional methods such as general counseling, which have been presenting several loopholes. The application of artificial intelligence in the treatment of PTSD has resulted in improved management of the condition among patients. Virtual intelligence involves victims being assessed by taking images of the minds to identify the type of trauma they are experiencing. A comparison between artificial intelligence may not be valid, although the two technologies appear to have different applications. Generally, artificial intelligence has been previously used to improve the operation of virtual reality with the technology providing an effective way of managing PTSD.

References

BrainLine, (2019), DSM-5 Criteria for PTSD-National Center for PTSD, U.S. Department of       Veterans Affairs

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (US). Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health            Services. Rockville (MD)(2014)Exhibit 1.3-4, DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria for     PTSD. Available from:             https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK207191/box/part1_ch3.box16/

Mann, S., Furness, T., Yuan, Y., Iorio, J., & Wang, Z. (2018). All reality: Virtual, augmented,       mixed (x), mediated (x, y), and multimediated reality. arXiv preprint arXiv:1804.08386.

Matthew Tull,. (2019). DSM-5 PTSD Diagnostic Criteria, Verywell Mind

Mayo Clinic,. (2019). Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)– Mayo Foundation for Medical          Education and Research (MFMER)

Rizzo, A. S., & Shilling, R. (2017). Clinical virtual reality tools to advance the prevention,            assessment, and treatment of PTSD. European journal of psychotraumatology, 8(sup5),       1414560.

T Allen Gore, (2014). What are the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder    (PTSD)? Medscape.

Thor Benson,. (2019). Artificial Intelligence Tool Can Detect PTSD in a Voice. DailyBeast