Virtual Hallucinating goggles make you temporarily Schizophrenic

We can't say we'd be first in line to get a dose of Schizophrenia or anything, but Janssen L.P.'s Virtual Hallucinations system shows promise of helping cops, paramedics, and social workers understand a bit more of what the afflicted go through. The technology consists of set of goggles and earphones that envelope you in one of two interactive scenarios that a typical Schizophrenic might face, including being a passenger on a bus in which the other riders continually vanish and reappear while stray birds attempt to invade the inside. The system is reportedly being trialed in a half dozen or so states, and professionals that had made it through the mind warp seem to have a new outlook on respecting and dealing with those with mental illnesses. Of course, if you're just interested in creeping yourself out, there's always easier alternatives.

[Via MedGadget]

[scottstrash @ May 23rd 2007 1:38PM]

is that Tobias Fünke in the picture?

[rj @ May 23rd 2007 1:40PM]

legal trips?

[Rob @ May 23rd 2007 1:42PM]

when, where and please!!

[gibber9583 @ May 23rd 2007 1:52PM]

if you're interested in hallucinating I'm sure a bag of shrooms or some acid is going to cost less than this stupid thing and probably easier to find.

[Rob @ May 23rd 2007 2:04PM]

well yeah it's easier to find shrooms or acid... but thats so played out... it'd be much cooler to trip on THE FUTURE

[gibber9583 @ May 23rd 2007 2:06PM]

Actually, if you wanted to trip on the future...you could chew up some acid-infused shrooms. There, i said it.

[Andrew @ May 23rd 2007 3:03PM]

This is among the most worthless, crap-psychology bs I've ever seen for the following reasons: 1) knowing what it's like to be crazy does not in anyway help you fix people who are crazy, 2) the scenes as described sound more like some bad psychologist's impressions of what it's like to be crazy as opposed to any empirically-based description, 3) it's extremely difficult to obtain good first-hand descriptions of what it's like to be crazy because you have to ask crazy people and we all know that crazy people tend to lie and make stuff up, so that's not a good idea, 4) even if you could get a perfect first-hand account of what its like to be crazy, it would be extremely unlikely that said account would play any sort of causative role in the craziness and hence would be useless; the analogy being that looking at pictures of the aftermath of hiroshima is not helpful for understanding how nuclear weapons work, and 5) one of the most important features of being crazy probably isn't simply experiencing some hallucinations but experiencing those hallucinations for long periods of time, not being able to control them, and ultimately not being able to know the difference between hallucinations and nonhallucinations.

[Ben @ Jun 13th 2007 10:38AM]

A bit late to comment but....

In response to Andrew (and thank-you Mark for your comments):

I am an emergency department doctor, I've often tried to do what this system does, and put myself in the mind of a schizophrenic person. One technique I use successfully is to reinforce to the patient (who is on the verge of losing it) that they are safe.

It is much easier to understand someone's refusal to cooperate when you realise they firmly believe you are the devil and are trying to kill them. I've seen the dramatic difference this makes for police and security guards in how they handle a situation.

The scenes depicted are probably very like an actual hallucination, as people can describe their hallucinations in vivid detail, as they appear as real as 'reality'. It isn't the length of time that matters. What makes people 'crazy' is that what they see as reality (which includes the hallucinations) is incongruent with actual reality. The incongruency combined with the persecutory nature of the hallucinations is what makes it all so horrible.

Looking at a picture of Hiroshima tells you just about everything you need to know about nuclear bombs.

[Mark @ May 23rd 2007 3:58PM]

@Andrew:
Wow, that's the most ignorant post I've seen in a long time.

"1) knowing what it's like to be crazy does not in anyway help you fix people who are crazy"

it's not meant to "fix people who are crazy", it's meant to lower the stigma in society against people with mental illness.

"2) the scenes as described sound more like some bad psychologist's impressions of what it's like to be crazy as opposed to any empirically-based description"

And you would know what a schizophrenic is like?

"3) it's extremely difficult to obtain good first-hand descriptions of what it's like to be crazy because you have to ask crazy people..."

Which is why they made this...

"4) even if you could get a perfect first-hand account of what its like to be crazy, it would be extremely unlikely that said account would play any sort of causative role in the craziness and hence would be useless"

Again, this isn't trying to fix people.

"5) one of the most important features of being crazy probably isn't simply experiencing some hallucinations but experiencing those hallucinations for long periods of time, not being able to control them, and ultimately not being able to know the difference between hallucinations and nonhallucinations."

correct but with the exception of making people schizophrenic, there's no other way of showing people what it's like.

[Dan @ May 23rd 2007 4:21PM]

Now if I can just fit my circumaural headphones over those little earplugs, I can pump in 'Dark Side Of The Moon' and I'll be stylin'! Plug me In!

[myscrnnm @ May 23rd 2007 5:08PM]

Woah, psychedelic picture.

[zed @ May 23rd 2007 8:06PM]

If I wear them from the outside does it work backwards?I really want to see NORMAL people in the bus...

[pseudolobster @ May 24th 2007 12:02AM]

the goggles, they do nothing!!

[JUNGLE LOVE @ Jul 6th 2007 12:56PM]

I'm not exactly sure what it's like to be Schizophrenic. But myself do experience a thing where I like a buzzing or humming sound, see people move their faces in different ways. But I don't believe this is a mental illness. It is due to myself experiementing with cocaine. I've tried alot of meds, which helped none, nothing but bad side effects. I'm not a guinea pig. Only I know what I deal with. I've tried to explain to people, but they don't understand. I guess I'd be better off explaining it to a coke addict. I was never addicted. Just experiemented for a few days.

[JUNGLE LOVE @ Jul 6th 2007 1:00PM]

CORRECTION - I hear like a buzzing or humming sound.

[jen @ Jul 6th 2007 1:30PM]

I have worked in mental health for 15 years and I'm very excited about this. Janssen has obviously worked with people who have symptoms of schizophrenia to create this experience. I hope that there will be a way for police departments and jail personnel all over the country to use this technology. It will make their interactions with people who are ill very different. Thank you Janssen.