The virtual reality simulation starts out quite normal, with a woman named Melissa talking from behind a desk in a generic classroom. But then things start to take a turn for the worse.
Colours around the room became brighter and the fluorescent lights flare up, just for a second, then fade. Your skin starts to tingle as heavy breathing and the sound of water can be heard. Looking around the room, a python suddenly appears lying on a desk to the left.
Melissa starts to talk in a different language and has a python draped around her shoulders. A voice tells you to run out of the room, to pour a glass of water over Melissa, that you are worthless. These sensations carry on for what seems like an age, as all focus is lost and your palms start to sweat.
Once the six-minute simulation is over, the headset is taken off and your breathing steadies, happy to be free from such an intense experience. While those who wear the headset can remove themselves at any time from the simulation, about half of the Australian population at some stage in their life have not been able to escape that same feeling of helplessness and fear.
With one in four young Australians likely to suffer a mental health issue before the age of 25, it is a sobering thought. Clear Thinking development co-ordinator Leanne Butterworth said the simulation was created to provide an engaging way for the public to better understand how debilitating mental health disorders can be.
“This is generic to give you an idea of what this might be like for quite frequently reported symptoms,” she said. “I have tried to make it as realistic as possible for people who are experiencing mental illness without making light of it and without scaring people at the same time, this isn’t a horror flick.
“You can read about the symptoms in a book but without actually putting yourself in that head space, to me it is really tricky. “For a lot of people it was quite eye-opening.”
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Source: Brisbane Times