Published 24 September 2024 at 15.35
Domestic. A single treatment session with the classic computer game Tetris can reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This is shown by a new study conducted on health care personnel who worked during the corona pandemic
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The study is led by researchers at Uppsala University, and is published in BMC Medicine. 164 people participated in the study and the relief was sustained after 5 weeks and after 6 months.
— It is possible to outcompete unpleasant and intrusive memories from trauma and in that way also reduce other PTSD symptoms. With just one treatment session, we saw positive effects that remained after five weeks and even six months after treatment. Trauma can affect anyone. If it is possible to get this effect with an everyday tool that includes computer games, it could be an easily accessible way to help many, says Emily Holmes, professor at Uppsala University who has led the study.
The biggest and main symptom of PTSD is unpleasant and intrusive memories of a traumatic event in the form of images – commonly known as flashbacks. Other symptoms can be avoidance, overexertion and concrete problems such as difficulty sleeping and difficulty concentrating. Emily Holmes, together with colleagues, has long researched how to prevent PTSD. In the current study, they have focused on getting rid of flashbacks. By out-competing the intrusive memory images with a visual task, other PTSD symptoms are also reduced.
Mental rotation using Tetris
The treatment is based on what is called mental rotation, and which is the core of Tetris. When you see an object from one angle, you can imagine what it looks like if it is rotated to a different position and can be seen from a different angle.
164 people participated in the study. The entire group received the same treatment plan but with different practical elements. Half the group had to play Tetris with mental rotation. The other half, the control group, were given a non-visual task; to listen to the radio. All participants kept diaries of their flashbacks. When the study started, participants had an average of 15 flashbacks a week. At a follow-up after five weeks, participants in the control group had an average of five seizures per week, but those in the game group had an average of only one.
At a follow-up six months after the treatment session, the participants in the gaming group had less severe symptoms of PTSD. In an assessment using an accepted form (PCL-5) commonly used to assess all PTSD symptoms, the gaming group had about half as much distress as the control group.
“Cognitive Vaccination”
— It surprised both us researchers and the participants that the treatment method was so effective and that the symptom improvement remained for at least six months. I understand that it may sound unlikely that such a short intervention, which includes computer games and does not include an in-depth discussion of trauma with a therapist, can help. But the study provides scientifically controlled evidence that a single guided digital treatment session can outcompete intrusive memories, and that it can be used independently by participants, says Emily Holmes.
She continues:
– My vision is that one day we will be able to «vaccinate» both healthcare personnel and others who have been exposed to trauma, against PTSD with a «cognitive vaccine», in the same way that we vaccinate against contagious physical diseases today.
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