Abstract for Virtual Iraq

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/05/19/080519fa_fact_halpern

In her article, "Virtual Iraq," Sue Halpern addresses not only how the Iraq War has effected soldiers, but how virtual reality is being used to treat PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. By using virtual reality exposure therapy, those who suffer from PTSD are experiencing less symptoms thanks to their increased exposure to the virtual reality that reminds them of their past experiences. These studies on virtual reality as a form of therapy are not just for the short term. Accoding to Albert Rizzo, "'The last one hundred years, we've studied psychology in the real world [...] In the next hundred, we're going to study it in the virtual world.'" Due to the evidence the article gave that this new therapy technique appears to be working, I think it should continued to be employed. As Paul Rieckhoff states in the article, "We’re a video-game generation. It’s what we grew up on. So maybe we’ll respond to it".