1 00:00:01,560 --> 00:00:04,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff from the Science Lab from how stuff 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:16,200 Speaker 1: works dot com. Hey guys, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:18,800 Speaker 1: This is Alice Madamok, the science editor at how stuff 4 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:21,279 Speaker 1: works dot com. This is Robert Lamb, science writer at 5 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:24,000 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com. Today we're talking about post 6 00:00:24,079 --> 00:00:27,520 Speaker 1: traumatic stress disorder and Tetris. Yeah, this is one of 7 00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:30,000 Speaker 1: the maybe the only video game that me and you 8 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:32,880 Speaker 1: can actually uh bond over. Yeah. I'm not much of 9 00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:36,120 Speaker 1: a gamer, but you are. Well, I'm not as certainly 10 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:37,360 Speaker 1: not as much as a lot of people I know, 11 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:40,199 Speaker 1: but I I enjoy playing uh, you know, stuff like 12 00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:43,040 Speaker 1: Fallout three, things of that nature. You know, Generally, I'm 13 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:44,920 Speaker 1: more like I'll play a few games a year and 14 00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:47,319 Speaker 1: getting really get into maybe one or two games a year. 15 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:49,800 Speaker 1: So you have played oh yeah yeah, back in uh 16 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:51,519 Speaker 1: I guess JR. I think, Yeah, I headed on like 17 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:55,280 Speaker 1: the original in ne e s um and like my 18 00:00:55,280 --> 00:00:57,400 Speaker 1: whole family would play it and then we would just 19 00:00:57,480 --> 00:01:00,440 Speaker 1: walk around the house just seeing blocks move around in 20 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:03,680 Speaker 1: our head dream and at night um and then I 21 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:04,880 Speaker 1: had it for I think I had it for PS 22 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:07,720 Speaker 1: two as well, but I never got into didn't really 23 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:09,560 Speaker 1: get into it as much for that because you know 24 00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:12,200 Speaker 1: it's not a I mean, it's an awesome game, but 25 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:14,040 Speaker 1: there's only so much you can do to it to 26 00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:17,880 Speaker 1: revamp it, you know, your blocks falling down, reorganizing. I 27 00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:20,039 Speaker 1: went to neat Little Rose. Now there was a really 28 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:23,200 Speaker 1: cool money Python version of it um that came out 29 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:26,080 Speaker 1: for PC, where you know, it's like to bring out 30 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:29,160 Speaker 1: your dad. So each block was a like a dead 31 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:32,360 Speaker 1: medieval peasant bent into a certain shape and they would 32 00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:35,360 Speaker 1: fall down into this big mass grave and you would 33 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:38,000 Speaker 1: move them around and then maybe squishy noises when they 34 00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:40,920 Speaker 1: lock into place. That was pretty awesome. I played a 35 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:43,120 Speaker 1: ton of Touchris my senior year of college when my 36 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:46,600 Speaker 1: thesis was do Yeah. I just remember thinking about the 37 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:48,160 Speaker 1: thesis and then thinking, well, I think I'm just going 38 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:51,440 Speaker 1: to play a little Tetris instead on Caroline, my roommates computer, 39 00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:53,360 Speaker 1: and I played a lot of chats, so much so 40 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:55,800 Speaker 1: that I actually jumped about it. Wow, were you afraid 41 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:57,360 Speaker 1: that you would turn in your paper and you look, 42 00:01:57,360 --> 00:01:58,360 Speaker 1: got that done, and you get it back and be 43 00:01:58,360 --> 00:01:59,720 Speaker 1: an f and you look at it. All you did 44 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:05,680 Speaker 1: was just draw Tetris blocks for like thirty pages. Yeah, Yeah, 45 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 1: I wasn't thinking too much about my academics data at 46 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:10,840 Speaker 1: that point in my life, although I should have been so. 47 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:13,000 Speaker 1: Tetris has a use outside of the gaming world and 48 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:17,080 Speaker 1: keeping us occupied. Um. A bunch of Oxford researchers have 49 00:02:17,240 --> 00:02:20,920 Speaker 1: postulated that Tetris might be useful for treating post traumatic 50 00:02:20,960 --> 00:02:25,480 Speaker 1: stress disorder. Yeah, this is pretty exciting. UM. Post traumatic 51 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:28,520 Speaker 1: stress disorder, for those of you who don't know, is 52 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:32,519 Speaker 1: a disorder that arises in the wake of a traumatic experience. 53 00:02:32,919 --> 00:02:36,640 Speaker 1: This could be um, you know, a combat situation in 54 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:40,560 Speaker 1: a war. It could be UM experiencing some sort of violence. 55 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:42,839 Speaker 1: It could be being in a car wreck. It could 56 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:47,240 Speaker 1: be even like just being being diagnosed with a really 57 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:51,239 Speaker 1: severe illness, the life threatening illness. Yeah, and children can 58 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:55,360 Speaker 1: experience PTSD as well. And you can also get it 59 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:57,320 Speaker 1: from just seeing like if you just see it a 60 00:02:57,360 --> 00:03:01,040 Speaker 1: traumatic car accident, you know, or or think about something 61 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:03,560 Speaker 1: like not eleven you I mean, you didn't you saw it, right, 62 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:05,400 Speaker 1: and a lot of or maybe you were acting in 63 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:07,960 Speaker 1: a rescue capacity to post not eleven. But even if 64 00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:09,920 Speaker 1: you just saw it, you know on the TV. I 65 00:03:09,919 --> 00:03:11,440 Speaker 1: mean you're just you know, heard about it, you can 66 00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:15,040 Speaker 1: still you know, develop the same disorder. And if you 67 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:18,920 Speaker 1: develop PTSD, your response to the event. Um. According to 68 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:21,040 Speaker 1: the Mental Health Bible, the d S M four is 69 00:03:21,080 --> 00:03:24,480 Speaker 1: going to involve some sort of intense sphere or helplessness 70 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:27,960 Speaker 1: or horror. And in children this tends to manifest itself 71 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:33,800 Speaker 1: and disorganized or agitated behavior. And the characteristic symptoms of 72 00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:37,480 Speaker 1: PTSD are are probably ones which with which are familiar. Um. 73 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:40,880 Speaker 1: The hallmark one being flashbacks. Right, yeah, this is the 74 00:03:41,400 --> 00:03:43,600 Speaker 1: you know we've seen everybody's seen this in a movie 75 00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:46,080 Speaker 1: or something. You know, you'll have like the great the 76 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:48,280 Speaker 1: classic example as you have like a Vietnam bed, or 77 00:03:48,320 --> 00:03:51,600 Speaker 1: maybe he's in a racky or that, you know, Afghanistan 78 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:55,200 Speaker 1: that and uh, you know it comes back home. He's 79 00:03:55,240 --> 00:03:57,320 Speaker 1: in like just a normal grocery store ride. He's going 80 00:03:57,360 --> 00:03:59,760 Speaker 1: around his business. He's he's picking out the groceries, and 81 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:01,760 Speaker 1: then but he drops a can of soup. Here's a 82 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:04,800 Speaker 1: loud noise, and then he's he's suddenly he's back in 83 00:04:04,800 --> 00:04:07,040 Speaker 1: the war again. You know, he's he's falling to the 84 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:09,240 Speaker 1: ground and thinks, you know, thinks he has to grab 85 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:11,640 Speaker 1: his gun. In that kind of a situation, a flashback 86 00:04:11,720 --> 00:04:14,360 Speaker 1: is a seriously intense experience. I mean, you're there, you're 87 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:17,120 Speaker 1: reliving the moment. It's not just like, oh, hey, man, 88 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:18,760 Speaker 1: I had a flashback when I saw that guy I 89 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:20,760 Speaker 1: told her Monday in the nineteen eighties. I mean a 90 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:23,920 Speaker 1: flashback in this sense, in the psychological sense, it is 91 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:28,640 Speaker 1: a dissociative state. You're you're not present, it's fully sensory, 92 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:33,480 Speaker 1: it's you're gone. Yeah. So if you have these symptoms, 93 00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:35,120 Speaker 1: they have to be present for more than a month 94 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:38,680 Speaker 1: for you in order for you to be diagnosed with PTSD. Yeah, 95 00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:40,359 Speaker 1: it's it's not the same if you say, like, you 96 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:42,360 Speaker 1: see a pretty shocking horror movie and you're like in 97 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:44,320 Speaker 1: you know, for a week, you're like, man, that was 98 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:46,000 Speaker 1: you know, to keep the scene keeps running over in 99 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:48,719 Speaker 1: your mind because I've had that happened before. Yeah, me too. 100 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:51,320 Speaker 1: But thankfully it goes away and you forget that you 101 00:04:51,360 --> 00:04:53,760 Speaker 1: ever saw that movie. Yeah, the CDC actually calls that 102 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:56,560 Speaker 1: would probably call that a stress reaction. Um, And it's 103 00:04:56,560 --> 00:04:59,520 Speaker 1: just something immediately following a traumatic event. But this will 104 00:04:59,560 --> 00:05:02,960 Speaker 1: go We'll go away within ten days, um. Whereas you 105 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:06,720 Speaker 1: just watch Total Recall again and it happens all over right. 106 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:09,160 Speaker 1: So PTSD tends to stick around longer for that, and 107 00:05:09,279 --> 00:05:12,000 Speaker 1: it impairs your life. It impairs your ability to your job, 108 00:05:12,080 --> 00:05:14,360 Speaker 1: your ability to interact with family and friends. And of 109 00:05:14,400 --> 00:05:16,599 Speaker 1: course this has been in the news a lot less 110 00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:19,880 Speaker 1: several years because we've uh in the States, we've been 111 00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:21,720 Speaker 1: a kind of at war for the last several years, 112 00:05:21,760 --> 00:05:25,880 Speaker 1: so we have a lot of troops going overseas, encountering violent, 113 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:28,560 Speaker 1: traumatic situations and then coming back home and trying to 114 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:31,960 Speaker 1: readjust mental health is becoming more and more of a priority, 115 00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:35,680 Speaker 1: so we're trying to tackle these problems and treat them clinically. So, 116 00:05:35,720 --> 00:05:38,200 Speaker 1: according to the Associated Press, there's a fifty million dollar 117 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:40,280 Speaker 1: five year study that the Army is conducting, and the 118 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:43,359 Speaker 1: Army is doing this in concert with the National Institute 119 00:05:43,400 --> 00:05:46,880 Speaker 1: of Mental Health, and the idea is to give commanders 120 00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:49,360 Speaker 1: in the army a better idea of the troops mental health. 121 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:54,000 Speaker 1: And then there's the other fact that you know, suicide 122 00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:57,200 Speaker 1: or you know, returning that who who winds up killing 123 00:05:57,279 --> 00:06:00,159 Speaker 1: himself or killing somebody else is gonna draw attentions, to 124 00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:01,840 Speaker 1: draw our attention to the problem, is going to grab 125 00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:03,880 Speaker 1: media headlines. Yeah, it's not the kind of thing you 126 00:06:03,920 --> 00:06:06,640 Speaker 1: want in a recruitment brochure, you know, join the army 127 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:09,680 Speaker 1: be screwed up for life. So you should emphasize that 128 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:13,599 Speaker 1: prevalence rates of PTSD among returning service members, you know, 129 00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:16,640 Speaker 1: really around the gamut um. I saw one fact sheet 130 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:20,400 Speaker 1: that estimated, you know, that saw prevalence rates of as 131 00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:22,839 Speaker 1: low as one percent among returning service members and as 132 00:06:22,920 --> 00:06:26,159 Speaker 1: high as six And there's also the problem of PTSD 133 00:06:26,320 --> 00:06:28,360 Speaker 1: kind of being a big tent to you know, to 134 00:06:28,480 --> 00:06:32,000 Speaker 1: fall under, to diagnose, doesn't manifest itself the same way 135 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:36,200 Speaker 1: with every patient, greg right, And there's you know, there's 136 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:39,120 Speaker 1: such a number of reactions that can cause somebody to 137 00:06:39,120 --> 00:06:42,080 Speaker 1: develop PTSD, So it's it's just a very sort of 138 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:45,760 Speaker 1: wide disorder at this point. The good news is that 139 00:06:45,839 --> 00:06:48,800 Speaker 1: we actually have some some good treatments for full blown PTSD. 140 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:51,560 Speaker 1: One thing to keep in mind with post traumatic stress 141 00:06:51,560 --> 00:06:54,719 Speaker 1: disorder is that it's kind of like getting a stain 142 00:06:55,080 --> 00:06:57,440 Speaker 1: on a garment, all right, Like you're say, you're at 143 00:06:57,440 --> 00:07:00,560 Speaker 1: a party, right and you're drinking great do like we 144 00:07:00,600 --> 00:07:03,040 Speaker 1: all drink at parties, and you spill it on like 145 00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:05,880 Speaker 1: your white blouse or whatever. Are you wearing a white 146 00:07:05,880 --> 00:07:08,120 Speaker 1: blouse a party? Yeah? I frequently got a grape juice 147 00:07:08,200 --> 00:07:11,880 Speaker 1: drinking parties, and I foolishly always wear my best white blouse. 148 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:15,360 Speaker 1: But but yeah, so like you, you spill grape juice 149 00:07:15,360 --> 00:07:18,440 Speaker 1: on this this garment, right. Um. Most of our treatment 150 00:07:18,440 --> 00:07:21,560 Speaker 1: methods that we have are aimed at like the next day, 151 00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:24,160 Speaker 1: we're like, oh, I got grape juice on my blouse. 152 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:26,240 Speaker 1: It's that staining really seeped in. What can I do 153 00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:29,360 Speaker 1: to try and get it out? As opposed to Oops, 154 00:07:29,400 --> 00:07:31,760 Speaker 1: I just felt grape juice on my my blouse. Who 155 00:07:31,760 --> 00:07:33,280 Speaker 1: has some soda water? Who has something? What can I 156 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:36,320 Speaker 1: do to sub this up before it spreads? Right? So, 157 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:40,000 Speaker 1: to continue Robert's sort of autoology, that's what I'm here for. 158 00:07:40,320 --> 00:07:43,640 Speaker 1: To let's talk about the scenario in which the grape 159 00:07:43,680 --> 00:07:46,080 Speaker 1: juice has already you know, stained your shirt and you're 160 00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:48,520 Speaker 1: you know, it's full blown. This is when we're looking 161 00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:52,080 Speaker 1: to treat full blown PTSD. Uh. Yeah. One method we have, 162 00:07:52,240 --> 00:07:55,880 Speaker 1: and this is the most the most validated, is a 163 00:07:56,120 --> 00:08:00,360 Speaker 1: cognitive behavioral therapy with some sort of exposure con opponent. 164 00:08:00,760 --> 00:08:03,840 Speaker 1: And this can fall under under This can fall under 165 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:09,200 Speaker 1: two categories, either like real life exposure or imaginary um 166 00:08:09,760 --> 00:08:13,360 Speaker 1: like say you get like one example of real Well, yeah, 167 00:08:13,400 --> 00:08:16,400 Speaker 1: one example of like a real life situation would be, uh, 168 00:08:16,600 --> 00:08:19,040 Speaker 1: there's a recent episode of This American Life. But a 169 00:08:19,040 --> 00:08:21,920 Speaker 1: guy who came back from uh from Iraq. Uh, he's 170 00:08:21,960 --> 00:08:25,560 Speaker 1: of that he's going to college, right, Yeah, he's us 171 00:08:25,680 --> 00:08:28,760 Speaker 1: that going to college. And he had just become he 172 00:08:28,760 --> 00:08:31,520 Speaker 1: had just had this post traumatic stress reaction to being 173 00:08:31,520 --> 00:08:33,559 Speaker 1: around anybody who looked like they might be in a 174 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:36,520 Speaker 1: rocky um. And of course he's at a college, so 175 00:08:36,559 --> 00:08:38,560 Speaker 1: there are there are a number of students that are 176 00:08:38,600 --> 00:08:41,120 Speaker 1: either you know, of a Rocky descent or Middle Eastern descent. 177 00:08:41,480 --> 00:08:43,360 Speaker 1: And he would see these these people and he would 178 00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:45,600 Speaker 1: just start freaking out a little, you know, he starts 179 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:49,000 Speaker 1: shivering and thinking about ways to like eliminate them. Um, 180 00:08:49,080 --> 00:08:51,560 Speaker 1: he chose, and I think it should be stressing. This 181 00:08:51,640 --> 00:08:54,640 Speaker 1: was against the advice of his u of the of 182 00:08:54,400 --> 00:08:56,960 Speaker 1: the the guy treating him at the time was that 183 00:08:57,000 --> 00:08:59,839 Speaker 1: he was going to join the college's Muslim students. So 184 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:03,320 Speaker 1: the issue. Yeah, so that's very much a real life 185 00:09:03,880 --> 00:09:07,320 Speaker 1: um exposure, you know, and and a very drastic one. 186 00:09:07,559 --> 00:09:11,600 Speaker 1: And the unconventional yes, and unconventional and it based on 187 00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:14,719 Speaker 1: the story, Um, it turned out rather well for him 188 00:09:14,720 --> 00:09:17,679 Speaker 1: he was able to really grow from that. UM. An 189 00:09:17,720 --> 00:09:21,079 Speaker 1: example of a of an imaginary one would be if 190 00:09:21,080 --> 00:09:23,839 Speaker 1: your therapist like brings you through like a thought exercise, 191 00:09:23,880 --> 00:09:28,439 Speaker 1: you know, like talks you through and imagined scenario or UM, 192 00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:30,120 Speaker 1: you were to engage in some sort of like a 193 00:09:30,200 --> 00:09:34,040 Speaker 1: virtual reality treatment where UH, you know, you say you're 194 00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:37,439 Speaker 1: you're you have post traumatic stress from a combat situation, 195 00:09:37,760 --> 00:09:40,440 Speaker 1: if you played a video game that was tailored to 196 00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:46,320 Speaker 1: UH to simulate that that same situation over again. So 197 00:09:46,440 --> 00:09:48,120 Speaker 1: this is this is a pretty good way to treat 198 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:50,560 Speaker 1: PTSD for for people out there affected by And then 199 00:09:50,559 --> 00:09:53,160 Speaker 1: there's another one, and this one may sound a little fringy, 200 00:09:53,280 --> 00:09:56,240 Speaker 1: but it's also a gained pretty widespread acceptance and it's 201 00:09:56,280 --> 00:09:58,839 Speaker 1: called e M d R and the E M d 202 00:09:59,040 --> 00:10:05,200 Speaker 1: R stands for movement Desensitization reprocessing UM. The originator was 203 00:10:05,240 --> 00:10:08,079 Speaker 1: somebody by the name of Francine Shapira back in So 204 00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:12,840 Speaker 1: this is a relatively new therapy and it's similar to 205 00:10:13,120 --> 00:10:16,080 Speaker 1: the cognitive behavioral therapy and that you might find yourself 206 00:10:16,120 --> 00:10:19,959 Speaker 1: talking through your traumatic event, but the differences while you're 207 00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:23,120 Speaker 1: talking through this traumatic event with a therapist who's qualified 208 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:25,520 Speaker 1: in this particular kind of treatment e M d R. 209 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:30,160 Speaker 1: Your eye is going to be moving bilaterally, it's gonna 210 00:10:30,160 --> 00:10:32,959 Speaker 1: be tracking this light, or you may find yourself hearing 211 00:10:32,960 --> 00:10:36,679 Speaker 1: audio tones or in fact feeling something like a kind 212 00:10:36,720 --> 00:10:39,679 Speaker 1: of tapping sensation on your palm. So you're feeling all 213 00:10:39,760 --> 00:10:42,959 Speaker 1: these external stimuli in addition to you know, talking about 214 00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:46,520 Speaker 1: the traumatic event with your therapist. And the idea behind 215 00:10:46,559 --> 00:10:48,959 Speaker 1: this kind of therapy is that E M d R 216 00:10:49,040 --> 00:10:52,240 Speaker 1: stimulates the brain's hemispheres and it helps your nervous system 217 00:10:52,400 --> 00:10:56,040 Speaker 1: reorganize those memories. Um, you're probably not going to just 218 00:10:56,080 --> 00:10:58,320 Speaker 1: do it in one session though, it's more more of 219 00:10:58,320 --> 00:11:00,920 Speaker 1: a process. Like I'm going to go in for M 220 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:04,000 Speaker 1: d R session today. It's really interesting to watch. I 221 00:11:04,040 --> 00:11:06,120 Speaker 1: would think it would be distracting it It actually sounds 222 00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:08,079 Speaker 1: a little bit like a video game. It does. Yeah, 223 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:11,439 Speaker 1: watching lights moved back and forth, something sort of vibrating 224 00:11:11,440 --> 00:11:15,360 Speaker 1: in your hands. Maybe, I mean that's yeah. So, like 225 00:11:15,480 --> 00:11:17,840 Speaker 1: Robert was saying, these are treatments that we'd use on 226 00:11:17,880 --> 00:11:21,520 Speaker 1: somebody who's already experiencing the symptoms of full blown PTSD, 227 00:11:22,040 --> 00:11:25,440 Speaker 1: but there are early interventions are sort of quick ways 228 00:11:25,559 --> 00:11:30,120 Speaker 1: to prevent um PTSD from developing or at least reduced 229 00:11:30,160 --> 00:11:32,120 Speaker 1: the incidence of flashbacks. Yeah, these are the this is 230 00:11:32,160 --> 00:11:34,640 Speaker 1: the sopping of the grape juice before it spreads. Messing 231 00:11:35,040 --> 00:11:40,080 Speaker 1: method um and one of those is to use morphineum, 232 00:11:40,080 --> 00:11:44,320 Speaker 1: which has been used in combat with combat casualties. Uh 233 00:11:44,760 --> 00:11:47,680 Speaker 1: you know some situations where uh, you know, you're having 234 00:11:47,679 --> 00:11:52,040 Speaker 1: to to treat some some injury as well. Yeah, there's 235 00:11:52,040 --> 00:11:53,920 Speaker 1: a big study on it just recently in two thousand 236 00:11:53,960 --> 00:11:56,920 Speaker 1: ten in the New England Journal of Medicine. And basically 237 00:11:57,000 --> 00:11:58,800 Speaker 1: you had a bunch of guys from the Navy reporting 238 00:11:58,840 --> 00:12:02,000 Speaker 1: that prompt treatment with morphine cut in half the chances 239 00:12:02,080 --> 00:12:06,640 Speaker 1: that troops would developed symptoms of PTSD later on. Of course, 240 00:12:06,640 --> 00:12:10,680 Speaker 1: it also cuts into your ability to remember what exactly 241 00:12:10,679 --> 00:12:13,640 Speaker 1: happened in some cases, which can be detrimental if you say, 242 00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:17,280 Speaker 1: need to testify in court about what happened. So that's 243 00:12:17,320 --> 00:12:19,120 Speaker 1: that's one big down. So and the other, of course 244 00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:23,439 Speaker 1: being that they're giving you morphine. So you know, there 245 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:25,760 Speaker 1: are plenty of tales of people coming back from you know, 246 00:12:25,960 --> 00:12:28,480 Speaker 1: from from from the war and they're hooked on morphine. 247 00:12:28,679 --> 00:12:31,800 Speaker 1: You know, there's a whole song u Samstone by I 248 00:12:31,800 --> 00:12:35,160 Speaker 1: think John Prime sing it there's a hole in Daddy's 249 00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:38,320 Speaker 1: arm where all the money goes, et cetera. It's like 250 00:12:38,320 --> 00:12:39,920 Speaker 1: it really sad. It's about a guy who comes back 251 00:12:39,920 --> 00:12:42,280 Speaker 1: a little kid. It's like a song, I mean, not 252 00:12:42,320 --> 00:12:45,319 Speaker 1: a nice song, but it's really it's a good song, 253 00:12:45,360 --> 00:12:47,160 Speaker 1: but it's like the saddest song ever because it's about 254 00:12:47,160 --> 00:12:48,839 Speaker 1: the guy who comes back from the war hooked on 255 00:12:48,960 --> 00:12:52,600 Speaker 1: morphine and just slowly just kind of goes crazy and 256 00:12:52,720 --> 00:12:55,400 Speaker 1: his kid and the kid has to watch him lose 257 00:12:55,440 --> 00:12:58,920 Speaker 1: his mind. But you have a good voice. Well yeah, 258 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:00,920 Speaker 1: well anyway, it's a that song. Look it up. I'm 259 00:13:00,920 --> 00:13:03,880 Speaker 1: sure it's on like YouTube or something. So that's kind 260 00:13:03,920 --> 00:13:07,119 Speaker 1: of the morphine route and the downfalls being right impaired 261 00:13:07,480 --> 00:13:10,360 Speaker 1: memory stuff like that. You know what about this tetris 262 00:13:10,400 --> 00:13:12,920 Speaker 1: we've been talking, there's not a song about like people 263 00:13:12,920 --> 00:13:15,080 Speaker 1: coming back from the war hooked on tetris. So you 264 00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:17,880 Speaker 1: know this is there's some possibility here, but how does 265 00:13:17,880 --> 00:13:20,160 Speaker 1: it work? Right? So this comes to us courtesy of 266 00:13:20,200 --> 00:13:22,520 Speaker 1: a study published in January two thousand nine in a 267 00:13:22,720 --> 00:13:25,480 Speaker 1: p L O S one the Journal. So what the 268 00:13:25,600 --> 00:13:29,160 Speaker 1: University of Oxford researchers did was they recruited forty participants, 269 00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:32,760 Speaker 1: and they split them into two groups of twenty, and 270 00:13:32,840 --> 00:13:35,800 Speaker 1: all of the participants watched this twelve minute pretty violent 271 00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:39,000 Speaker 1: film pass of death kind of deal, right, right, pretty 272 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:42,959 Speaker 1: disturbing scenes of injury and death. And then everyone, all 273 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:46,600 Speaker 1: forty participants sat idle for this thirty minute structured break. 274 00:13:46,880 --> 00:13:49,000 Speaker 1: You know, maybe they filled out some paperwork, um, and 275 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:51,120 Speaker 1: they were actually shown short clips of the film just 276 00:13:51,160 --> 00:13:53,440 Speaker 1: to reinforce what they'd seen, just to drive it home. 277 00:13:54,160 --> 00:13:57,760 Speaker 1: It's terrible. I can't imagine participating an experiment like that. 278 00:13:57,840 --> 00:14:00,320 Speaker 1: I remember all sorts of bad stuff if that is 279 00:14:00,360 --> 00:14:02,880 Speaker 1: seen in movies for a long, long, long, long time. 280 00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:05,360 Speaker 1: So I don't think this would be the experiment for me. 281 00:14:06,360 --> 00:14:08,959 Speaker 1: So after this thirty minutes was up, um, twenty of 282 00:14:08,960 --> 00:14:10,880 Speaker 1: the people sat idle. You know, they just kind of 283 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:14,720 Speaker 1: sat there and ponder that really terrible movie or whatever 284 00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:17,319 Speaker 1: they pondered. But I'm imagining they probably pondered this movie, 285 00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:21,560 Speaker 1: and the other twenty played Tetris for ten minutes. Which 286 00:14:21,600 --> 00:14:23,200 Speaker 1: group I would want to be a part of? I 287 00:14:23,280 --> 00:14:25,360 Speaker 1: absolutely know which group I would want to be part 288 00:14:25,360 --> 00:14:29,120 Speaker 1: of Tetris? So why did they suggest Tetris? What's the 289 00:14:29,160 --> 00:14:31,680 Speaker 1: deal behind playing Tetris after you see something traumatic, why 290 00:14:31,680 --> 00:14:34,480 Speaker 1: would they possibly do that? Well, it comes back to 291 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:36,840 Speaker 1: the It comes back to what we were talking about 292 00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:39,240 Speaker 1: earlier about how you play a bunch of Tetris and 293 00:14:39,240 --> 00:14:41,960 Speaker 1: you start seeing the see the blocks when you're walking around, 294 00:14:42,040 --> 00:14:46,000 Speaker 1: or you used dream the blocks falling through space. And 295 00:14:46,040 --> 00:14:50,280 Speaker 1: that's because Tetris has been demonstrated to be a visio 296 00:14:50,480 --> 00:14:54,200 Speaker 1: videospatial task. It draws on mental rotation and the type 297 00:14:54,200 --> 00:14:57,960 Speaker 1: of processing we recruit when forming mental images. That's key 298 00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:00,920 Speaker 1: because there are two ways that we form memories. Okay, 299 00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:04,960 Speaker 1: There's the sensory perceptual processing of the trauma, all right, 300 00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:08,480 Speaker 1: These are the sights and sounds, experience steering, you know, 301 00:15:08,680 --> 00:15:12,360 Speaker 1: um in this violent encounter, this car wreck, etcetera. Okay, 302 00:15:12,480 --> 00:15:16,880 Speaker 1: and then there's the verbal or conceptual processing where you 303 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:19,000 Speaker 1: make sense of it, you turn it into a story, 304 00:15:19,120 --> 00:15:22,720 Speaker 1: my story. So it's not just like trash black and blam. 305 00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:24,920 Speaker 1: It's like, oh my god, I was in a car wreck. 306 00:15:25,160 --> 00:15:27,880 Speaker 1: I could have died. That guy totally wasn't thinking about 307 00:15:27,920 --> 00:15:29,880 Speaker 1: what he was doing, and like that's where you form 308 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:33,160 Speaker 1: that story, all right, and this is happening immediately after 309 00:15:33,200 --> 00:15:37,040 Speaker 1: the traumatic event. Right, But what if something we're competing 310 00:15:37,280 --> 00:15:39,680 Speaker 1: for that memory making function. What if you were saying 311 00:15:39,720 --> 00:15:43,520 Speaker 1: playing techs, which is also competing for those visual spatial resources, 312 00:15:43,800 --> 00:15:45,800 Speaker 1: and your brain can only execute on so many things 313 00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:48,520 Speaker 1: at once. All Right, here's an experiment for everybody. If 314 00:15:48,520 --> 00:15:51,600 Speaker 1: you want to test this tonight, when that special somebody 315 00:15:51,600 --> 00:15:54,160 Speaker 1: in your life is is telling you about their day, 316 00:15:54,320 --> 00:15:59,120 Speaker 1: try playing tetris at the same time and see what happens. Um, 317 00:15:59,320 --> 00:16:01,280 Speaker 1: you're gonna proba. We find that it's really hard to 318 00:16:01,400 --> 00:16:05,120 Speaker 1: pay attention and or remember what they're telling you. Yeah, 319 00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:07,000 Speaker 1: So that's it on a basic level, is that your 320 00:16:07,040 --> 00:16:10,000 Speaker 1: your brain has a limited capacity to make memories of 321 00:16:10,040 --> 00:16:13,520 Speaker 1: this traumatic event um and or play tetris. And if 322 00:16:13,520 --> 00:16:15,840 Speaker 1: you're actively playing tetris, chances are it's going to devote 323 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:18,960 Speaker 1: its resources to Tetris. And this is what the researchers 324 00:16:19,040 --> 00:16:23,239 Speaker 1: hypothesized and in fact was proven true among the forty participants. 325 00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:27,440 Speaker 1: So what the researchers found was that um, after watching 326 00:16:27,440 --> 00:16:31,600 Speaker 1: this film, they tracked the participants for a week and 327 00:16:31,720 --> 00:16:33,880 Speaker 1: in the group that played tetris UM there was a 328 00:16:33,880 --> 00:16:37,480 Speaker 1: reduced incidence of flashbacks, while in the group that sat quietly, 329 00:16:37,600 --> 00:16:40,560 Speaker 1: you know, pondering that horrible film. They had a higher 330 00:16:40,680 --> 00:16:44,920 Speaker 1: number of flashbacks that they experienced. Wow, so it sounds 331 00:16:44,960 --> 00:16:47,400 Speaker 1: like this could really be a tool in the future 332 00:16:47,440 --> 00:16:51,200 Speaker 1: for immediately treating people who are in a traumatic situation. 333 00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:55,479 Speaker 1: Ambulance arrives on the scene, guys a little freaked out, 334 00:16:55,600 --> 00:16:58,640 Speaker 1: get him a game boy Tetris. Well, it's interesting you 335 00:16:58,680 --> 00:17:01,280 Speaker 1: say that because the thirty minute time period. You probably wonder, like, 336 00:17:01,320 --> 00:17:03,480 Speaker 1: why did they choose thirty minutes for you know, to 337 00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:06,359 Speaker 1: play Tutris, Because the researchers figured out that the average 338 00:17:06,359 --> 00:17:09,040 Speaker 1: time spent waiting an emergency room is in fact thirty minutes. 339 00:17:09,160 --> 00:17:11,280 Speaker 1: Really okay, so if they could get in there before, 340 00:17:11,520 --> 00:17:13,800 Speaker 1: you know, the emergency room folks, could you get to 341 00:17:13,840 --> 00:17:16,200 Speaker 1: the problem right? Or free touches for everybody in the 342 00:17:16,240 --> 00:17:18,320 Speaker 1: emergency room? Yeah, I mean I love Touchris. I used 343 00:17:18,359 --> 00:17:20,600 Speaker 1: to have it on my phone. Yeah, I'm thinking about 344 00:17:20,640 --> 00:17:22,679 Speaker 1: downloading it for for my phone. If I have a 345 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:24,600 Speaker 1: really bad day now, I might play a game of Tetris. 346 00:17:25,359 --> 00:17:28,600 Speaker 1: So that's PTSD and Tetris, But what about other video games? 347 00:17:28,600 --> 00:17:32,560 Speaker 1: All right, you've read that article about you know, smokers 348 00:17:32,600 --> 00:17:35,320 Speaker 1: and oh yeah, yeah, I wrote an article for Discovery 349 00:17:35,320 --> 00:17:37,479 Speaker 1: News a few months back, and it was about an 350 00:17:37,480 --> 00:17:42,520 Speaker 1: interesting study out of Canada, um where um, you know, 351 00:17:42,720 --> 00:17:44,840 Speaker 1: like we're saying earlier, one way to to get over 352 00:17:44,880 --> 00:17:49,360 Speaker 1: your your stress situation, um um from a combat environment 353 00:17:49,400 --> 00:17:50,840 Speaker 1: is to put you in a video game to put 354 00:17:50,880 --> 00:17:53,720 Speaker 1: you in a combat situation. Well, these guys basically took 355 00:17:53,760 --> 00:17:55,840 Speaker 1: the same type of video game, like a first person shooter, 356 00:17:56,160 --> 00:17:58,080 Speaker 1: except instead of a gun, you have a little hand. 357 00:17:58,280 --> 00:18:02,239 Speaker 1: Instead of enemies, you have floating cigarettes. And so they 358 00:18:02,240 --> 00:18:05,719 Speaker 1: had a whole bunch of fairly heavy smokers. Uh. And 359 00:18:05,720 --> 00:18:07,280 Speaker 1: they did the same deal where they had one group 360 00:18:07,320 --> 00:18:09,880 Speaker 1: there was control, one group that was the experimental, and 361 00:18:10,080 --> 00:18:11,760 Speaker 1: they all came in and they did a bunch of like, 362 00:18:11,840 --> 00:18:14,240 Speaker 1: let's talk about our addiction kind of thing, and you know, 363 00:18:14,359 --> 00:18:17,040 Speaker 1: we're gonna rally together to beat our addictions. And then 364 00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:19,520 Speaker 1: one group when and did one thing and I think 365 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:21,520 Speaker 1: played some sort of a game that was unrelated, and 366 00:18:21,520 --> 00:18:24,800 Speaker 1: then the other group Monopoly, and then they ended up 367 00:18:24,840 --> 00:18:26,600 Speaker 1: killing each other because it's Monopoly and it's a horrible 368 00:18:26,600 --> 00:18:29,000 Speaker 1: frustrating game. But now and then the other group and 369 00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:31,439 Speaker 1: they weren't smoking, so they're even more irritable but now. 370 00:18:31,720 --> 00:18:33,760 Speaker 1: But then the other the other group, the experimental group, 371 00:18:34,040 --> 00:18:36,600 Speaker 1: they would play this game where the hand crushes the cigarettes, 372 00:18:37,119 --> 00:18:40,119 Speaker 1: and they found that the people who the group, that 373 00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:43,880 Speaker 1: the group that crushed the cigarettes had more long term 374 00:18:44,119 --> 00:18:47,439 Speaker 1: success overcoming and our addiction than the other group. But 375 00:18:47,480 --> 00:18:49,680 Speaker 1: the interesting part is that some of the people who 376 00:18:49,680 --> 00:18:53,760 Speaker 1: played the video game UM, they actually visualized themselves collecting 377 00:18:53,880 --> 00:18:57,240 Speaker 1: or recording the cigarettes and didn't work on those guys. Yeah, 378 00:18:57,280 --> 00:18:59,720 Speaker 1: they were just trying to you know, get more smokes. Yeah, 379 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:02,919 Speaker 1: so that was a fascinating study as well. Yeah, so 380 00:19:02,920 --> 00:19:05,400 Speaker 1: we ask around some of our co workers about their 381 00:19:05,440 --> 00:19:09,160 Speaker 1: experiences with games UM having a therapeutic effect on them, 382 00:19:09,160 --> 00:19:12,280 Speaker 1: and we actually found several people. The main game people 383 00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:16,720 Speaker 1: mentioned was Tetris. So if you have any suggestions, comments, questions, 384 00:19:16,840 --> 00:19:19,320 Speaker 1: just shoot us an email at science stuff at how 385 00:19:19,400 --> 00:19:29,320 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com for more on this and thousands 386 00:19:29,359 --> 00:19:32,320 Speaker 1: of other topics. Is that how stuff works dot com. 387 00:19:32,600 --> 00:19:35,359 Speaker 1: Want more how stuff works, check out our blogs on 388 00:19:35,440 --> 00:19:37,160 Speaker 1: the house stuff works dot com home page.