Revro VR Solution for Depressive Disorder Therapy

Main articles

• Depression
• Virtual Reality (VR)

2021: Product Development for Reduced Self-Evaluation with VR

A resident of Yakutsk IT Park, Revro, which studies the possibilities of immersive technologies in the fight against psychological disorders, has developed an IT product for working out reduced self-esteem using VR.

The IT product consists of a VR helmet and an application that enables a series of virtual reality exercises. At this stage, MVP is ready and the product has been tested for more than a year. For the seed stage (seed round), the project team needs about $50 000.

In the application menu for working with self-criticism, the user selects a character that looks as similar as possible to himself, with which it will be easier for him to associate himself. Then he puts on a VR helmet - and 'turns out' in a room with a crying teenager who looks like him. The user's task is to calm the teenager, telling him encouraging words and various compliments. When the character of adolescence ceases to cry, the user in the VR space is in his place: he sees himself and hears these same compliments from himself. Thus, man overcomes the first threshold 'sincerely praised himself'.

According to Yegor Vasiliev, the team integrates immersive technologies into exercises to treat depression, since in virtual reality vision is completely immersed in the virtual world, and the volume of what is happening allows you to strengthen the visual perception and living of the game scenario. In the VR space, a person identifies with the body and attributes of a virtual character and accepts them.

As the Revro team notes, the need to pay special attention to mental health is a global trend. According to UN statistics, millions of people in the world suffer from mental disorders. And according to recent estimates by Statista, Russia ranks fourth in the ranking of countries by the number of residents who have experienced psychological problems over the past 12 months.

One common cause of depressive disorder, as well as one factor supporting depression, is self-criticism. People with self-criticism have a serious barrier to praising themselves. With virtual reality exercises, we propose to pass this threshold faster. We have developed a prototype application for working with self-criticism at the SVFU site and have already tested it, we are also preparing an application to overcome the fear of public speaking, "said Yegor Vasiliev, founder of Revro, resident of the Yakutsk IT Park.

According to the founder, VR helmets are sold at an affordable price for many people, so the possibilities of technology will gradually be revealed not only in psychotherapy, but also in various industries.