Virtual Reality technology is generally used for entertainment or educational contents, but its use is spreading to the medical sector in South Korea.
A local hospital has started running a therapy program featuring VR gadgets to treat patients with mental disorders.
Cho Sung-min reports.
"Let's practice organizing your thoughts so you can deliver your points with confidence."

This man wearing a VR set has been diagnosed with social anxiety disorder.
Using this gear, he is simulating conversations with strangers to try and get used to meeting other people in the real world.

This is one of the programs launched recently on a trial basis by a local hospital to help people with mental disorders or phobias get over their fears.

"They still might feel anxious, but since they know it's only practice, they're not as stressed as would be meeting real people."

Therapists can assess how afraid the patients are using real-time data, such as their heart rate and the number of times they make virtual eye contact.

Using the collected data, each patient is assigned to personalized VR programs for the social skills they need to improve most.

The software developer says using the VR programs along with existing therapies will vastly improve the quality and results of treatment.

"This program does not require much time or space. Users can do it whenever and wherever they'd like, and they can repeat the process over and over... in conjunction with other treatments."

The hospital is currently testing the VR therapy sessions on one hundred parients, and depending on the results, they will add the program officially starting next March.
Cho Sung-min, Arirang News.