IHEM External Speaker Series: Bianca Jansky

Title of the talk: From Promise to Practice: Virtual Reality Therapy and the Reconfiguration of Psychiatric Care

Amidst rapid technological innovation and a widely recognised mental health crisis, psychiatry has increasingly become a site of digital experimentation and innovation. Virtual Reality Therapy (VRT) is one such emerging intervention, promising low-risk and personalised treatment option particularly in the care of persistent mental health conditions such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. In VRT, immersive virtual environments are used to simulate distressing situations, support social skills training, or provide stress relief. Especially in Denmark, this experimental form of therapy has gained momentum to imagine a digital psychiatry within the biomedical community, the affected population, and the digital health technology development sphere. Drawing on on-going empirical research following the move of VRT from research settings into clinical practice, the presentation explores how VRT is discussed as a potential complement or alternative to psychopharmaceutical treatment and how the technology and the surrounding developments may contribute to ongoing changes in the organisation and understanding of mental health care.

Bio:

Dr. Bianca Jansky is a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Medical Science and Technology Studies, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen. She holds a PhD in Sociology from Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich. Her work examines the societal dimensions of digital health innovation, focusing on knowledge practices and participation.

If you would like to attend, please use the following Zoom dial-in info:

https://tum-conf.zoom.us/j/63062412184

Meeting-ID: 630 6241 2184
Code: 536634