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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Rachel Hall

‘Sliding into an abyss’: experts warn over rising use of AI for mental health support

Mental Health United States Paul Bradley
App created by Woebot Labs to make therapy accessible for patient suffering from anxiety, depression, and mental health issues
Psychiatrists and medical professionals insist AI chatbots should not be a substitute for professional mental healthcare. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

Vulnerable people turning to AI chatbots instead of professional therapists for mental health support could be “sliding into a dangerous abyss”, psychotherapists have warned.

Psychotherapists and psychiatristssaid they were increasingly seeing negative impacts of AI chatbots being used for mental health, such as fostering emotional dependence, exacerbating anxiety symptoms, self-diagnosis, or amplifying delusional thought patterns, dark thoughts and suicide ideation.

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