Read the text below.
Researchers discovered that playing the computer game Tetris can prevent flashbacks, one major symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
People who have experienced or witnessed war, road accidents, or other life-threatening situations can develop PTSD after the incident. Returning flashbacks or memories of the incident is a major symptom of the condition. Patients with the condition may also experience lack of sleep and paranoia, or the constant feeling that something wrong is going to happen.
The study was done by researchers from Oxford University and Karolinska Institute’s Department of Clinical Neuroscience. Their hypothesis is that if patients do something engaging within a few hours of a traumatic incident, flashbacks can be blocked from coming and memories of the event will not be formed strongly.
The team tested the hypothesis on 71 car crash survivors. All of the survivors were asked for details about their accident. Afterward, half of them were asked to play Tetris for 20 minutes, while the other half were not. A week after the accident, those who played the game reported very few flashbacks of the traumatic event. Meanwhile, those who did not play the game reported around 23 flashbacks. The scientists also found that the flashbacks faded more quickly among people in the first group.
The researchers hope to continue the research on the prevention of PTSD using Tetris among accident survivors. They would also like to involve more patients in the study and determine how long the effects of the game would last. They would also like to know if similar games can be used to treat people who are already afflicted with PTSD, which include refugees from other countries and soldiers returning home from war.