Inclúyete Virtual Reality

Abstract

Stigma towards mental health disorders is a powerful obstacle to the recovery and social inclusion. This is why social awareness and empathy must be addressed as soon as possible. Among the possibilities for intervention, new technologies, and more specifically virtual reality (VR), are a very attractive resource for young people who spend a large part of their free time playing video games. The aim of this chapter is to present a proposal that can be applied to university students to address stigma in mental health whose central axis is a virtual reality programme, Inclúyete VR. This programme fosters empathy towards those who suffer from a mental health disorder, allowing them to “experience” how a person feels when they have hallucinations and what the possibilities are for a psychosocial approach to the disorder. The session should be led by a mental health professional familiar with the software. The total duration of the VR programme is approximately 10 minutes, which is very appropriate to initiate a discussion-reflection about mental health disorders.