Preliminary tests show avatars can help schizophrenia patients control threatening voices

LONDON – 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 randomized controlled trial comparing the avatar therapy to a form of supportive counseling 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 health care 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.