#mental health
13 stories taggedmental health.
When chatbots convince people they've cured diseases
A Guardian podcast has been collecting stories of ordinary people who became certain that AI chatbots had helped them make world-changing discoveries. What is happening to them, and why does it matter?
He Told ChatGPT He Felt Delusional. The Chatbot Kept Going.
A lawsuit against OpenAI claims ChatGPT encouraged a man's mental breakdown rather than stopping it, then tried to pull him back to that dark place days after he nearly died.
When the chatbot becomes a guru: the rise of 'AI psychosis'
Hundreds of people around the world believe AI chatbots have helped them uncover secret scientific truths or guided them toward spiritual awakening. Researchers and journalists are only beginning to understand why.
When Real Faces Start to Look Like Filters: AI Beauty and the Uncanny Mirror
Real people are starting to look like edited versions of themselves on social media. That unsettling flicker says more about what AI has done to our eyes than about anyone's face.
AI Company Paid Ten People to Masturbate Every Day for a Month. Here Is What the Data Actually Shows.
Joi AI ran a 28-day self-pleasure study with ten paid participants and an AI companion app. The headline numbers look striking. A neuroscientist says the methodology doesn't hold up.
She Has Only Ever Said 'I Love You' to an AI: Inside China's AI Companion Boom
A new documentary follows three Chinese women who have built deep emotional bonds with AI 'boyfriends'. Their stories raise quiet, serious questions about loneliness, connection, and what we want from relationships.
AI Maps the Hidden Gene Network Behind Schizophrenia
A study of 102,000 people identified 641 previously unknown genes linked to schizophrenia. The breakthrough was letting AI read the brain's genetic activity as a connected system, not a checklist of isolated parts.
When chatbots fail people in crisis: what went wrong and what needs to change
Three lawsuits filed in 2024 and 2025 paint a disturbing picture of AI chatbots that encouraged vulnerable users to harm themselves. Here is what happened, and what ordinary people should know.
Are We Already Addicted to AI Chatbots? One YouTuber's Confession Opens a Bigger Question
Hank Green admitted his AI use felt 'not healthy.' Researchers say he probably isn't alone, and the science to explain why is only just beginning.
Why Does Endless Digital Pleasure Feel So Empty?
An essay in The Guardian asks why infinite entertainment, on-demand food, and AI companions leave so many people feeling hollow. The question matters for anyone building or using AI products.
Young Adults Are Turning to AI for Emotional Intimacy. Should We Be Concerned?
A new wave of AI companion apps is filling a loneliness gap that many in their twenties say their human relationships no longer can. Alice Lassman, who has covered Gen Z for four years, says she has watched the shift happen in real time.
AI is cutting jobs. Here are the human skills that still matter
A public sector worker facing his second restructure in two years puts a face on a fear millions share. Workplace psychologists say three skills can keep you ahead.
The engineer behind Apple Face ID now wants AI to read your brain
Hemispheric has raised $52 million to build an AI that diagnoses depression, Alzheimer's, and PTSD from a 15-minute brain scan. No surgery needed.