Study shows video games can ease PTSD flashbacks

A single therapy session involving the video game Tetris can reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This is according to a new study conducted with healthcare professionals working during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study is conducted by researchers at Uppsala University and is published in BMC Medicine.

“It is possible to reduce the frequency of unpleasant and disturbing trauma memories and thereby alleviate other PTSD symptoms. With just one guided therapy session, we saw positive effects that persisted five weeks and even six months after treatment. Trauma can affect If this effect can be achieved with an everyday tool that includes video games, it could be an affordable way to help many people,” explains Emily Holmes, a professor at Uppsala University who led the study.

The hallmark symptom of PTSD is unpleasant and intrusive memories of a traumatic event in the form of mental images – commonly known as flashbacks. Other symptoms may include avoidance, excessive tension, and problems such as difficulty sleeping and concentrating. Holmes and her colleagues have been researching how to prevent PTSD for a long time. In the current study, the researchers focused on getting rid of flashbacks. By replacing intrusive memories using a visual task, other PTSD symptoms can also be reduced.

Mental spin using Tetris

The treatment is based on what is known as mental rotation, which is at the heart of Tetris. When you look at an object from an angle, you can imagine what it would look like if it were rotated to a different position and could be seen from a different angle.

The study involved 164 participants (see information box). All participants attended to the distressing trauma memories for a week. After that they were randomized to one of two conditions. Half the group was asked to play Tetris with mental switching. The other half, the control group, were given a non-visual task: listening to the radio. All participants kept a journal about their flashbacks. At the start of the study, participants were experiencing an average of 15 flashbacks per week. At a five-week follow-up, participants in the control group had an average of five episodes per week, but those in the gaming group averaged only one.

At a follow-up six months after treatment, participants in the gaming group had less severe PTSD symptoms. In an assessment using a validated questionnaire (PCL-5) that is often used to assess all PTSD symptoms, the gaming group experienced about half as many problems as the control group.

“It was surprising to us that the treatment method was so effective and that the improvement in symptoms lasted for six months. I realize that it may seem unlikely that such a short intervention, which includes video games, but does not include an in-depth discussion of the trauma with a therapist could help, but the study provides scientifically controlled evidence that a single guided digital therapy session can reduce the number of distressing memories and that it can be used safely by participants.

“Cognitive Inoculation”

My vision is that one day we will be able to provide a tool for people such as post-traumatic health professionals to help prevent and treat early symptoms of PTSD, which is a ‘cognitive vaccine’, in a similar way that we inoculate this at the time against certain infectious physical diseases’.

Emily Holmes, Professor at Uppsala University

The research was conducted in collaboration with colleagues from Uppsala Clinical Research and Karolinska Trials Alliance, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Dalarna University, Sophiahemmet University, Ambulance Services in Region Västerbotten, University of Münster (Germany), P1Vital (UK) and the University of New South Wales, UNSW (Australia).