A new study from Uppsala University has found that a single treatment session, including playing the video game Tetris, can significantly reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The study, published in BMC Medicine, focused on healthcare professionals working during the COVID-19 pandemic. “It is possible to reduce the frequency of unpleasant and intrusive memories of trauma, and thereby also alleviate other PTSD symptoms,” explained Professor Emily Holmes, founding trustee of MQ and current director of the MQ Foundation. Emily, who led the study, noted that positive effects were observed even five weeks and six months after just one guided session. “If this effect can be achieved with an everyday tool that includes video gaming, it could be an accessible way to help many people,” Holmes added.
PTSD often manifests as flashbacks—vivid, intrusive memories of trauma. Holmes and her colleagues have long researched ways to prevent PTSD, and this study aimed to reduce flashbacks specifically by using a visual task, like mental rotation, which is a core aspect of Tetris. The idea is that visual tasks can replace intrusive memories and reduce other PTSD symptoms.
The study involved 164 participants who monitored their flashbacks for a week. They were then randomly assigned to one of two groups: half played Tetris using mental rotation, while the control group listened to the radio. All participants kept diaries of their flashbacks. Before the study, participants averaged 15 flashbacks per week. After five weeks, the control group averaged five episodes per week, but the gaming group had just one. Six months later, the gaming group continued to experience fewer and less severe PTSD symptoms, reporting about half the problems of the control group, according to a widely recognized PTSD questionnaire (PCL-5).
Holmes said,
“It was surprising to us that the treatment method was so effective and that the improvement in symptoms lasted for six months. I realise that it may seem unlikely that such a short intervention, which includes video games but doesn’t include an in-depth discussion of trauma with a therapist, could help.”
However, she emphasized that the study offers controlled evidence that a single guided session can safely reduce intrusive memories.
Holmes also shared her broader vision for the future, stating,
“My vision is that one day we will be able to provide a tool for people such as healthcare professionals after traumatic events to help prevent and treat early PTSD symptoms, that is a ‘cognitive vaccine’, in a similar way that we currently vaccinate against some infectious physical diseases.”
The research was a collaboration involving Uppsala Clinical Research, Karolinska Institutet, Dalarna University, and other institutions from Germany, the UK, and Australia.
In 2017, MQ funded a study by Dr Jennifer Wild from Oxford University, trialling a new intervention Called SHAPE Recovery, to help prevent PTSD from taking hold in healthcare workers. The results of this study have been highly encouraging.