Chatbots Worsen Mental Illness Symptoms in Patients

Aarhus University psychiatrists published a study in Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica earlier this month analyzing roughly 54,000 Danish patient records and identifying 181 clinical notes that mentioned AI chatbots. They report that intensive chatbot use appeared to worsen symptoms—particularly delusions, mania, suicidal ideation—and may pose severe or fatal risks for some patients. The authors urge caution and highlight unregulated chatbot therapy as an emerging clinical concern.