Avatars offer new hope for schizophrenics

Scientists are examining whether computer generated avatars can help patients with schizophrenia to control the voices in their heads.
By The Newsroom
Published 30th May 2013, 09:37 BST

The avatars, which are created to look and sound like the patients’ hallucinations, are actually controlled by therapists who help patients conquer their demons.

The therapist encourages the patient to oppose the voice and gradually teaches them to take control of the hallucination.

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Researchers, who have been given a £1.3m grant from the Wellcome Trust, hope that the computer-based system could provide “quick and effective therapy” for sufferers.

Almost all of the 16 patients who underwent up to seven 30-minute sessions in a pilot study – conducted by researchers at from University College London (UCL) – reported a reduction in the frequency and severity of the voices that they hear while three stopped hearing voices completely.