Abstract
Virtual reality is a tool providing controlled and immersive environment and therefore allows us to simulate ecologically valid stimuli in an environment with a high level of presence. As such, virtual reality has been used in psychological sciences since the early 90s, with its application in psychiatry in phobia treatment coming soon after.
Since then, virtual reality received significant technological improvements and thanks to its cost reduction it promises to become a useful tool supporting current therapeutic practices. In psychiatry, virtual reality is used as a research, diagnostic and therapeutic tool.
It offers psychiatrists to simulate environments for objective assessment of patient's symptoms and safe simulations of stressful situations. This review presents the benefits and drawbacks of implementing virtual reality in psychiatry and offers a preview of the field's future.