Virtual Hallucinations!!!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Dec 14, 2002 4:48 am

the point of the machine is to give therapists a better understanding of what their patients experience with their disease. I think that, based on Gretchen's remarks, it does just that.

Certainly she cannot truly know what it is like to be schizophrenic based on a few sessions with this machine. The only way she could really know would be if she were shizophrenic. Even if the machine could change her cognitive perceptions, the limited sessions and the knowlege that the experiment will end soon would prevent a complete understanding anyway. Schizophrenics have no such assurances that what they are experiencing will end soon, and they certainly have no control over it. No machine can mimic that, so I think it sounds good enough.

Post by **merrick** » Sat Dec 14, 2002 5:53 am

I think you got it exactly. it is a matter of control and knowledge that it will end. if you know you can turn a machine off or that you will be sober in 8-12 hours it never seems quite as crazy as when you think it will never stop.

Post by **Gretchen** » Mon Dec 16, 2002 2:36 pm

Exactly. It is an educational tool for therapists & patient families to gain greater appreciation for their patients/fmaily members afflicted.

I work for the Director of Psychiatry, VA med. center but her main focus is researching schizophrenia/schizoaffective patients. Super cool boss, interesting field.