D.O.T. - Die offene Tür (The open door)
Intercepting mental problems with games and apps
On the threshold of grammar school to secundary education most girls and boys are given their first smartphone and with it are starting to use social media. „At that time cyber bullying is starting to be a problem; with our project we target that“, says Dr. Beate Schrank, director of the research group D.O.T. . She is medical specialist for psychiatry and psychotherapeutical medicine at the university hospital Tulln and since January 2018 director of the research group „D.O.T. – The open door“ based in Krems. The project focuses on mental health in children using tablets, smart phones etc.
To prevent children from drifting off into virtual space one of D.O.T.´s methods is to gamify therapeutical measures, transporting gaming elements to contexts alien to gaming. Dr.Schrank: „One example are safe chatrooms or online applications containing various games to train social skills.“
(Youtube-Video in german only)
The research group is a joint venture of Ludwing Boltzmann Gesellschaft and Karl Landsteiner Private University for Health Studies. Run time is four years. Appropriation of three million Euros points to the model character of the project, says Schrank.
Initial offers to take part in the project have emerged in Lower Austria: „We invite all schools in Lower Austria to get in contatct, especially those in less privileged areas“, says the director of the research group.
