What is it about?
This article examines how the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots for emotional support and mental health advice may unintentionally create risks for some individuals, particularly those experiencing mental health difficulties. Although AI chatbots can provide immediate, anonymous, and nonjudgmental support, these same qualities may sometimes reinforce unhelpful patterns of thinking and behavior. The article outlines five potential ways this could happen: delaying professional help-seeking, increasing repeated reassurance-seeking, encouraging social withdrawal, strengthening distorted beliefs or perceptions, and promoting excessive dependence on AI for decisions and emotional support. The article also discusses possible safeguards that developers and mental health professionals could implement to reduce these risks while preserving the benefits of AI technologies.
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Why is it important?
AI chatbots are rapidly becoming part of everyday life, and millions of people increasingly use them for emotional support, personal advice, and mental health concerns. Much of the current discussion focuses on the benefits of AI in mental health care, but considerably less attention has been given to its possible unintended harms when these tools are used independently and without professional oversight. This article is timely because it highlights a largely overlooked issue at a moment when public use of AI is expanding faster than scientific evidence and safety guidelines. By identifying possible pathways through which AI interactions could reinforce psychiatric symptoms, the article aims to encourage further research, clinical awareness, and the development of safeguards that help ensure AI remains beneficial rather than harmful.
Perspectives
As both a clinician and researcher, I frequently noticed discussions on social media in which people described using AI chatbots to solve personal problems and improve their mental well-being. While these stories highlighted the potential benefits of AI, they also raised concerns for me about possible unintended consequences. Driven by these concerns, I spent time exploring how AI chatbots respond to conversations resembling those that might occur with individuals experiencing different psychological difficulties. These interactions reinforced my impression that, alongside their benefits, AI systems may sometimes unintentionally encourage patterns that could worsen certain mental health difficulties. This experience motivated me to write this article. My hope is that this work contributes to a broader conversation about how we can preserve the benefits of AI while ensuring that these technologies remain safe and supportive for the people who use them.
Javad Abbasi Jondani
University of Isfahan
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Understanding or undermining? When artificial intelligence chatbots quietly reinforce psychiatric symptoms., Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science, July 2026, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/abn0001146.
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