Avatar deployed by DOD for PTSD

Watching the brief report from KPVI news it is hard to get a true impression of this but what I can tell you is that it very well may be a great idea.

PTSD leaves people feeling like a stranger in their own skin. An avatar could fit right into the way they already feel. The soldiers can go from one part of the site to another and watch "themselves" walk through it. Sounds good so far? It gets even better.

The thought that the DOD would come up with a program like this helps in that thought alone. They know they are not alone and more soldiers are dealing with the same issues they are even though they may not talk about it. The magnitude of this wound is spreading and will keep spreading as more and more troops face more traumatic events. The sooner they seek help to heal the less damage done to their lives. This is not an answer to all that comes with PTSD but seems like a really great place to start.

Department of Defense Launches New PTSD Website
Wednesday January 19, 2011 11:18pm MST
The Department of Defense (DoD) launched a new website Wednesday aimed at helping those suffering from the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

The website has the user set up an avatar in which they navigate through a simulated "therapy island". The users can move at their own pace and click on links along the way. This is the first time that the Department of Defense has used this approach for PTSD.

The exact cause of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is still unknown but doctors believe that psychological, social, physical and genetic factors are all involved. PTSD alters the way that a person responds to stress. That is why it is so important to treat the disorder.

There are many options for treatment this includes the DoD website and the Pocatello Cere-Balance Center.
go here for video report
Department of Defense Launches New PTSD Website

MSNBC has a better report on this

Virtual haven set up for combat vets
Alan Boyle writes:One of the best things about virtual reality is that it isn't real — and the Pentagon is taking advantage of that fact by offering a virtual realm that can take combat vets and their loved ones through the whole cycle of post-traumatic stress disorder.
PTSD and depression are thought to affect 10 to 30 percent of the U.S. military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, depending on how you define the disorder. For some vets, the trauma left behind from combat experiences can lead to alcohol abuse, aggressive behavior, family problems or even suicide.
Typically, therapists help PTSD sufferers get through the experience by having them relive and talk through stressful experiences in a safe environment. That's where virtual reality can make a difference: For several years now, therapists have been using online worlds such as Second Life to simulate the stresses in a therapeutic context. Studies have shown that such simulations can lead to a clinically significant lessening of PTSD symptoms. Some researchers are even using simulations to identify potential PTSD sufferers —and deal with their problems — even before the warfighters are sent into combat.
Therapists only wish that vets would take greater advantage of the treatment tools at hand.

T2 Virtual PTSD Experience