Mamede T, Lordêlo P. Mental health in the virtual world: Are we ready for the metaverse era? World J Methodol 2024; 14(4): 95064 [DOI: 10.5662/wjm.v14.i4.95064]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Patrícia Lordêlo, Doctor, PhD, Adjunct Associate Professor, Physiotherapist, Postdoc, Pelvic Floor Care Center and Postgraduate, Patricia Lordelo Institute, Bahiana School of Medicine and Public Health, Av Dom João VI, 256, Brotas, Salvador 40290-000, Brazil. pvslordelo@hotmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Article-Type of This Article
Editorial
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Methodol. Dec 20, 2024; 14(4): 95064 Published online Dec 20, 2024. doi: 10.5662/wjm.v14.i4.95064
Mental health in the virtual world: Are we ready for the metaverse era?
Tuffy Mamede, Patrícia Lordêlo
Tuffy Mamede, Post Graduation in Medicine and Human Health, Bahiana School of Medicine and Public Health, Salvador 40290-000, Brazil
Patrícia Lordêlo, Pelvic Floor Care Center and Postgraduate, Patricia Lordelo Institute, Bahiana School of Medicine and Public Health, Salvador 40290-000, Brazil
Author contributions: Lordêlo P conceived the idea for the manuscript; Mamede T reviewed the literature and drafted the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: We declare that there are no conflicts of interest of any nature in the content of this manuscript.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Patrícia Lordêlo, Doctor, PhD, Adjunct Associate Professor, Physiotherapist, Postdoc, Pelvic Floor Care Center and Postgraduate, Patricia Lordelo Institute, Bahiana School of Medicine and Public Health, Av Dom João VI, 256, Brotas, Salvador 40290-000, Brazil. pvslordelo@hotmail.com
Received: March 31, 2024 Revised: June 14, 2024 Accepted: June 28, 2024 Published online: December 20, 2024 Processing time: 116 Days and 19.5 Hours
Abstract
The advent of the metaverse, including virtual reality, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence, is an undeniable issue that health care scientists need to update. It influences all fields of knowledge, interpersonal relationships, and health. Regarding mental health since the post-coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, it is necessary to consider and understand the potential, possibilities, weaknesses, and consequences arising from and provided by this new scenario. Due to the increasing need for mental health monitoring and care, mental health treatments require in-depth training and preparation to achieve the maximum use of the metaverse advantages and possibilities. Currently, very little is known about the effectiveness of remote mental health treatment, but it is certainly suggested that accessibility and the characteristics associated with the use of metaverse technologies may represent new horizons for accessibility and approach tools, as long as more studies are carried out and more evidence is collected to develop accurate guidelines, safe training, solve ethical concerns, and overcome limitations.
Core Tip: Metaverse consists of a virtual environment created using technologies such as augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality. This paper discusses the readiness of patients, therapists and interfaces for managing mental health using the metaverse.
