METAVERSE AND MENTAL HEALTH

Nowadays, mental health has achieved an important role in our society, especially among young people. After years of it being taboo, we are experiencing a new world that allows us to open doors to new types of support and interaction, something that is crucial since the world we live in gets faster and overconnected day by day. In this context, Metaverse emerges as a new space of possibility that can be easily turned into a place full of doubts and challenges, if it is used without awareness.

One of Metaverse’s most promising strengths is its ability to create immersive situations that feel like reality. This means that people can create their own avatar that can walk, run, jump, and interact with other avatars as if they were physically present. This could sound like a game to many people, but it actually hides strong means for someone who is struggling.

For example, someone who suffers from social anxiety or depression could find comfort in this “fake” world, since it allows them to join communities and interact with people in a safe environment. If we think about all the people who, every day, struggle to leave their house and, therefore, make interactions, this could be a solution for them to feel less lonely and to get comfortable with themselves and others. This creates an emotional engagement that no type of therapy could ever achieve, helping people to gradually build the confidence to face the “real reality.”

Metaverse can offer clinical implications as well. Let's take the issue of PTSD as an example. By creating virtual scenarios that replicate stressful situations in a controlled way, users can deal with their fears, or worse, traumas. This form of immersive exposure to past experiences allows individuals to practice coping strategies. This can serve as a stepping stone to people who are trying to recover from a trauma, providing a safe space to experiment and recover.

As I stated before, this virtual world allows you to create your own avatar, which implies that you can create a version of yourself exactly as you want it. Having the possibility to create a digital version of yourself is empowering, especially because you can play with your identity and express it, something that many people fear in real life. On the internet, you can be whoever you want; you could be anonymous, which clearly could help you with expressing your true self without feeling judged.

However, these features can also have significant downsides, with social isolation being the most concerning one. Over-identification in your avatar can lead, especially for people who suffer from anxiety, to prefer the virtual self instead of the real self. This means that if I feel more comfortable in my avatar than in real life, and if I joined a community where I feel truly myself, then I won’t feel the need to have face-to-face interactions and real-life relationships.

Another key aspect is anonymity. It can offer protection and freedom to express themselves, but at the same time it can encourage negative behaviours, such as cyberbullying, trolling, or avoiding accountability for their own actions. This creates a false sense of security, assuming that actions in the virtual world won’t have real-life consequences.

Ultimately, the Metaverse is not a replacement for professional mental health care. It cannot solve psychological conditions on its own, and it should not be used for this purpose. However, when used thoughtfully, it can serve as a valuable tool for therapists to help people in need. The key lies in integrating the tools of the Metaverse with the support of a professional; only then can we really benefit from this virtual world. The main point is that it cannot be a substitute, but just an additional resource that can expand the ways in which people access care and mental support.