Avatars can help schizophrenia patients control...

An experimental therapy for people with schizophrenia that brings them face to face with a computer avatar representing the tormenting voices in their heads has proved promising in early stage trials. Scientists who conducted a randomised controlled trial comparing the avatar therapy to a form of supportive counselling found that after 12 weeks, the avatars were more effective at reducing auditory hallucinations, or voices inside the head. More research is needed to investigate the approach in other healthcare settings, so the therapy is not yet widely available. But if further trials prove successful, experts said, avatar therapy could'radically change' treatment approaches for millions of psychosis sufferers across the world. Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder that affects around one in 100 people worldwide.