In any given year, nearly 20 percent of U.S. adults, more than 40 million people, have to contend with a mental illness. Getting treatment is often a struggle; fewer than half of those affected get any sort of care, which can be especially hard to find in rural and underserved communities.
Virtual reality may seem like the least likely technology to address the lack of mental health care. But researchers are building the case for VR as a way to help people with diagnoses including phobias, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and schizophrenia.