Depression Prevention by Mutual Empathy Training: Using Virtual Reality as a Tool

Abstract

The increasing number of diagnosed anxiety and depression has been aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to social alienation in modern life. Therapeutic intervention for depression using serious games is gaining popularity in recent years. However, the prevention for depression among people with sub-health status has not gained enough attention, and the avoidance of relapse depression under post-pandemic social alienation is ever more challenging. This paper proposes a novel approach to prevent depression and its recurrence through empathy training using interactive virtual reality game applications. This study explores the possibility that VR games, as an empathy machine, can grow into a social network with interpersonal mutual and empathetic support that benefits both prevention and intervention methods for depression.