Psychiatric Care in Second Life

Well counseling is a loaded word... when I'm telling someone they should not feel bad because their RL or SL boyfriend left them... I call that a form of couseling.

In the clinical sense I'm sorry you feel it's "not viable".
As far as attendant fee's.... $60 - $120 = $15,000 to $30,000 linden an hour

So is it just about money?

And as far as SL being too primitive, I dont' think anyone envisioned on-line courses as we have now when arpanet was going. That was barely 10 years ago.

SL tends to attract primarily creative types and it is also a fairly well known fact that creativity and mental disturbances tend to go hand in hand. The odds that at least half of us have been treated for something psychological at some point in our lives are pretty strong....

http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleId=164902206

I think this is a cool idea. I guess it's such a broad spectrum thing - if someone is seriously sociopathic, or delusional, or suffering from more serious issues - then sure, they need to see a psychologist face to face and be prescribed drugs, that's (arguably) our society's best solution for it now.

But... As mentioned already, the anonymity of being in SL and not having to get out from behind the computer would encourage many of the people who don't already see a counselor in the real world. I can see someone talking to a SL therapist and realising, "Gee, this is helpful and does make sense, I should take this person's advice and see a RL therapist"...

Isn't there a sim or part of a sim that is comprised of a group of people with Asperger's syndrome (I think "Brigadoone" but am probably spelling it wrong)?

In addition to fears/phobias, another thing SL and the net in general help with is social anxiety disorders - it's usually easier for people to be comfortable in a simulated social environment. I know that if I walk into a crowded place (especially a bar, I still tend to get incredibly unnerved walking into RL bar's or clubs) in SL it's a lot easier to socialize and "open up", and as a result I've seen myself getting less anxious and feeling less "out of place" in real-life social situations that used to press my buttons.

I study psychology in real life and i dont think it would be ethical to have meetings like this in second life especially when the topics are often very severe..someone mentioned suicide...there are other things like homocide, and child abuse to think about. Plus there would be a lot of legal implications that havent been worked out by many states..and god forbid you do something wrong and become liable for it.

Plus there needs to be an environment thats appropriate for this kind of treatment. Somewhere where the therapist focuses intently on the person's concerns..i would think it would pretty hard to do this if your pc crashes, you get lag, maybe you got music going on your end..or your bagel is about to burn and you have to go run and put cream cheese on it.

In TSO, i did preliminary counseling...no big deal..just listening to people's mild everyday issues like "my best friend isnt talking to me" etc. I think that if the person has noone to talk to about smaller frustrations then some help can be supplied..but anything that requires some deep professionalism should be seriously considered.

I personally think that some things should be kept in our first lives.

Well said Ariel

Is that like, telling someone it's ok to green?

So what about prescreening or direction people to long-term and/or emergency services via Second Life?

Who's going to make sure that so-called SL psychologists have been vetted before they hang out their shingle?

I think ramifications of having unqualified Dr. Laura types practicing in SL far outweigh the advantages.

I don't see how it is all that much different than telephone appointments.

http://www.consumerreports.org/main/crh/displayc.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=654705&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=381723



Edited to Add:


There will have to be an exchange of Real Life information, with contact information at the very least on the part of the therapist.

*nods* I have a very good friend who suffers from a severe case of Asperger's and can't function in RL groups without a support animal. They didn't even know there was a sim for people like her, and she has been doing very well since she started visiting it regularly to hang out with similar people.

The problem with medical people is that they almost always want to resort to some esoteric drug or expensive treatment for a condition, when frequently (but not always), the patient has the power within themselves to resolve the condition. Patients with mental issues who acknowledge the condition and actively seek to resolve it can be very responsive to non traditional counseling.

As someone who was kept on meds for years for panic attacks and antisocial disorders, I've seen the so-called treatments that some quacks come up with. 2 years ago I quit all the meds at New Years, and said my life would change for the better without popping meds all the time. And it has. I have made many friends in RL as well as online. I'm not saying that it would be the best solution for everyone, but it will work for some.

No, if you read the rest of my post you will see im against it..what im saying is that sometimes people need someone who they can vent to, this is something a friend can do that doesnt require much skill beyond listening and reflecting, but a real therapist is something completely different. That role requires the incredible patience and empathy, to be well read in the areas of law and psychology, to have the required credentials etc.

If SL ever did have professionals in game then there would HAVE to be so much done legally so they wouldnt be liable for anything that may go wrong..thats just not gonna happen lol. Currently with designing SL relinquishes any responsibility for the things that may go wrong..which allows for a lot of flexibility and creativity...but when it comes to matters of the human psyche this attitude cannot be tolerated, and strict limitations would have to be imposed and each professional would have to comply to those standards..who really wants this to happen in our fantasy world? This is a game, and the moment this place starts becoming too much like our real lives..then the whole illusion and purpose will be lost. I mean who really wants another unsatisfying life to retreat to.

Given that (based on anecdote) SL has already got a much higher proportion of people hooked on psychiatric drugs, why would we want to encourage more of it? It's sickening to me how many of my friends here have already been victimized by drug companies. No thank you.

Oh my... no I don't think anybody is suggesting that drugs be prescribed via Second Life! I doubt it's even legal.

What else are psychiatrists good for? If you don't want to be imprisoned, drugged, shocked, or otherwise degraded and tortured you would be much better off seeking some other form of mental or spiritual counseling.

Tell me, how was your relationship with your mother?

Well Jessica Robertson has brought it to my attention that I may have used the wrong words. I actually WAS talking about mental counseling, even if my wording was incorrect.

Spiritual counseling is also an outstanding suggestion that I overlooked.

<Stupid Logan Comment>
The patient appears to be suffering from acute blingtardation! Administer 30cc's of prim torture at once, and have them IM me in the morning!
</Stupid Logan Comment>
Sorry, couldn't resist.

I can see how support groups might operate in a virtual world, although the opportunity for assholes to play mind games is high.

I would be concerned about being able to know the RL identity and qualifications of any therapist. Do therapists have to be state licensed as well? What about countries other than the U.S. Can they counsel someone across the country or world legally?

Also, I think you would lack many necessary channels of communication...body language, voice, appearance.

And what do you do with a suicidal client if Second Life crashes at a bad moment.

Yes and also a place for those with depression and social anxiety... one I think is called helping hands??

Even though the topic name is off (yes phychiatry may be impossible due to it's overlap with medication), there is already counceling going on in SL.

Those who are licensed who sit back and say "this isn't the place for it." are ignoring that it is already going on.

A friend of mine in Second Life gets panic attacks when there are too many people around her in SL.

There is therapy going on in SL... the question is only who is going to take part.

I agree about spirituality...i think its funny how we term it "mental health" when we really only treat the sick and not the healthy...i always felt there was room for improvement for everyone..

i hope to make contributions in the field someday that will pay a little more attention to the subject of helping the healthy... drug free tyvm

What about just developing friendships with people you can trust, rather than seeking "proffessional help" in SL.
ALL of us offer advice and support to friends, and just because someone has letters after their name, and the other doesn't, doesnt make a difference.
I often think of SL as my local pub (thats bar to our american cousins here). Now, id talk over problems with friends in a pub, but i wouldnt call it "counselling", its normal human socialisation.
I dont think, that any decent proffessional would toch counselling in SL with a bargepole, be it for issues of ethics, financial and proffessional liability, or limited tools at the practitioners disposal within SL.
If someone sets up as a counsellor in SL, theyre lending extra gravitas to their opinions, and as i see it in SL, a "counsellor" is more likely to be someone with their eye on lindens, and a Dr Phill book in their cabinet, than someone with a real working knowledge of Psychology.
And as Dogspot said, this situation will mean the disadventages of "counsellors" in SL will far outweigh the advantages.

But if we did that in RL you'd be out of work! We're just thinking of you man!

In case im being too convoluted in what im saying.... yes to informal counselling, self help and support infrastructures in SL ....... no to people setting up shop as a "bona fide" therapist

well a happy medium...

ok next topic.. interspecies marriages

But this topic hasn't even devolved and fallen apart into an "childhood regression therapy VS ageplay" flamewar yet! (standing by with silly animal pictures)

I thought this was a thread about psychics