Social skills are something we often take for granted. Most of us develop them passively as we make our way through our daily lives as children and adolescents. By the time we’re adults, we’ve become comfortable with ourselves, settled into our personalities, and at least moderately confident in our own unique mode of interaction. Nobody is for everybody, but the vast majority of people become comfortable enough in their own skin by the time they reach maturity that interacting with others is at least not a major source of stress.
For some, it is.
A Silent Epidemic
Social maladaptation is a problem you might not see much of, or even know how to recognize – and who could blame you? Unless you’ve done an online post-master’s PMHNP program, you might not even know what to look for. Some people with social anxiety mask their feelings in a way that makes it completely imperceptible to others; others simply choose not to participate in society.
Social anxiety is a pervasive issue experienced by far more people than many would ever guess. 7.1% of people in the US experience chronic social anxiety, and an even more shocking 12.1% of Americans experience severe social anxiety at some point in their lives. And it’s not something to be taken lightly – 40% of people with chronic social anxiety report that they live with lifelong ideations of suicide, and 27% make at least one suicide attempt throughout their lives.
Unlikely (Anti-)Heroes
When we think of problems that can be solved by technology, social dysfunction is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. Most of us probably think of technology causing social dysfunction more often than curing it – and it’s not an altogether incorrect assumption. Social media is known to be a contributing factor in many adverse mental health outcomes, including depression, eating disorders, and – you guessed it – social anxiety.
But, believe it or not, technology offers some hope on this front, too. Emergent tools like the Charisma Virtual Social Coaching platform are doing more than giving people hope for a better life – they’re demonstrating genuine positive outcomes.
Unlike traditional coaching solutions or talk therapy, Charisma utilizes virtual reality to help patients with social dysfunction. Maria Johnson, a Director at the Center for BrainHealth at the University of Texas at Dallas, explains why Charisma is able to generate positive results where other techniques fail:
“In educational settings, educators also faced hurdles in providing comprehensive support for students experiencing social difficulties. These challenges often translate into academic and social barriers to success, impacting students’ learning experiences and outcomes. Similarly, in clinical care settings, clinicians encountered limitations to traditional therapy approaches, particularly in creating realistic social scenarios for clients to practice and generalize their skills. This lack of engagement and personalized learning experiences hindered the overall progress and well-being of individuals seeking support for social skills development.”
Charisma’s unique platform helps overcome some of these barriers by utilizing VR in live coaching sessions to simulate social scenarios that people experiencing social dysfunction might normally avoid or struggle with. Virtual reality allows them to experience more realistic, less contrived scenarios in a more controlled, less threatening environment that offers them the chance to practice their skills and receive positive feedback. This low-stakes, immersive approach is helping many patients regain the confidence they need to get back into the thick of things and begin socializing again on their own steam.
In addition to reducing the potential for negative associations with the therapy, the use of gaming technology and customizable elements of social presence helps patients feel more engaged and motivated to address their issues. Johnson elaborates:
“The platform proposal outlined a multifaceted approach that integrated elements of telehealth and gaming technology to deliver personalized and evidence-based social coaching. Charisma’s customizable avatars and diverse range of social settings are designed to cater to the unique needs and preferences of each individual, ensuring a tailored and effective learning experience. By harnessing the power of immersive virtual environments and live coaching sessions, Charisma is revolutionizing social skills training, providing individuals with the tools and support needed to navigate social interactions confidently and successfully.”
BrainHealth is optimistic about the potential for other technologies to aid in their search for better social anxiety therapies, too. Aaron Tate, their Director for Emerging Technology, sees immense promise in the synthesis of virtual reality with generative AI. He is hoping to combine the two technologies to enable patients to customize their own therapeutic environments, producing an experience most conducive to their individual needs.
“By leveraging AI to suggest scenarios and coaching considerations, we ensure that each session is backed by research and adheres to a high standard of consistency and educational value. This approach enhances the customization and flexibility of our offerings, enabling Charisma to adapt to the unique needs and learning goals of each user while maintaining the integrity of our core strategies.
“Looking ahead, we are excited about the potential for AI to enable autonomous social skills training scenarios. This ambitious vision will require substantial data to realize, as it involves crafting scenarios that can intelligently adjust to users’ responses and learning progress, mimicking the nuanced guidance traditionally provided by human coaches.”
Help At Scale
But UT aren’t the only ones using VR to help improve patient outcomes. In fact, the industry has gone fully commercial – there are apps that patients can download, sometimes for free, right on their phones that utilize similar technology, albeit likely not as sophisticated. Wellness giant Headspace has partnered with Facebook parent company Meta to launch a VR app on the Meta Quest called Headspace XR. While Headspace has made its name with mobile phone apps that help users meditate and attain a more grounded state of mind, Headspace XR offers not only a more visually immersive experience but a physically engaging one, too: it encourages movement, including tai chi-like exercises in a relaxing, serene environment. They are even conducting studies with Virginia Tech to prove the benefits and positive outcomes of using their app.
Headspace doesn’t stop there, either – in 2021, they purchased Sayana, a remote AI talk therapy service that uses mood tracking and established therapeutic techniques like cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance commitment therapy, and dialectical behavioral therapy to improve patients’ mentality, habits, and sense of well-being. Piggybacking on its merger with Ginger, a remote therapy service, Headspace is angling to become a major provider of remote mental health and wellness services.
It’s clear that both private and public sector institutions have seen the value in technology to help patients and customers with mental health needs. While the negative impacts of technology on many people’s mental health can’t be denied, there is certainly hope that the benefits will outweigh the costs in the final analysis.
Featured image credit: JESHOOTS/Unsplash
