Project R-13965

The Body schema profile in Mental Health (Research)

Mental health disorders are a global crisis with an increase of 26% for anxiety and 28% for depressive disorders. Mental Health plays a major role in an individual's cognition, emotional regulation, or behavior. However, when assessing mental health disorders, scientific evidence from both clinical and research perspective favors dimensional concepts in the diagnosis of mental disorder. In the context of embodied cognition, the body schema refers to a model of one's body configuration that is constantly updated through sensory imput prompted by proprioception and postural changes. It affects one's ability to accept consciously one's body image and physical appearance and vice versa. Disorders related to body schema and body image may be part of some psychiatric and can challenge the descriptive classifications of mental disorders. Current medical and psychological literature identify a large number of different phenomena as body image or body schema disturbances. A complete assessment battery of these concepts may help to better understand contemporary perspectives and controversies on mental self-representations of the living human body. In this framework, the body schema profile studies the following components of the body schema and body image: Proprioception, body perception, body representation, body projection, motor imagery, degree of freedom, control of strength, motor sensory integration. This tool in correlation with a virtual reality assessment as well as a recording of physical potential will provide to the scientific literature different psychomotor profile of each mental health.

01 October 2023 - 30 September 2027