2023-09-12 10:00:43
What is anorexia?
Anorexia is a serious mental illness that can be life-threatening. Those affected have one disturbed body image and see themselves as too fat even though they are already significantly underweight. This can lead to one Lack of nutrients, cardiovascular problems and bone fractures lead.
People with anorexia live in constant fear of gaining weight. They do everything they can to prevent this, such as starving themselves, vomiting, or exercising excessively.
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This is how the VR glasses support patients with anorexia
To help people with anorexia nervosa manage their Fear of gaining weight To overcome this, scientists from the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy at the University Hospital of Tübingen and the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems have developed a virtual reality tool. People with anorexia can use a new virtual reality environment early in the course of treatment Try a healthy body weight. In the environment they can see themselves in different body weights, both from the outside and from the inside. This approach can help Reduce fear of weight gain and promote recovery. Initial study results show that this can reduce patients’ fear of gaining weight.
This is how the participants reacted to their virtual bodies
As part of the clinical pilot study, the researchers examined 24 patients with anorexia nervosa who were receiving inpatient or outpatient treatment. After a detailed introduction, the patients took part in four 30-minute sessions in which they were asked to view a virtual body at their healthy weight.
The study participants reacted very differently to the sight of their healthy virtual bodies. Almost half reported high levels of tension, but this quickly subsided. About a third initially reacted with low tension, but this increased over time. Some participants, however, experienced the sight as completely normal.
Read more: Typical behavior in anorexia nervosa: How to recognize the disease >>
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