How a computer game can help those with PTSD

a CoMpUTEr ‘game’ that asks players to fill in the missing letters in words could help those with post-traumatic stress disorder (pTSD).

researchers from the ruhr-University Bochum in Germany asked 40 patients with pTSD, which is characterised by anxiety and flashbacks caused by a traumatic event, to log on four times a week for two weeks and fill in blanks in sentences that related to their trauma.

it was hoped this would show them their symptoms were normal reactions, and so reduce the distress they felt.

another 40 patients went through placebo training and all had psychotherapy. Those who played the ‘game’ experienced fewer trauma-related thoughts afterwards and had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their system, according to the journal psychotherapy and psychosomatics.