Psychotherapists say people using AI for mental health advice risk 'slide into abyss'

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

- Rachel Hall

Psychotherapists and psychiatrists told the Guardian that they were increasingly seeing negative impacts of people using AI chatbots for mental health, for example fostering emotional dependence, exacerbating anxiety symptoms, self-diagnosis, or amplifying delusional thought patterns and suicide ideation.

Dr Lisa Morrison, the director of professional standards, policy and research at the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, said two-thirds of its members had expressed concerns about AI therapy in a recent survey.

"Without proper understanding and oversight of AI therapy, we could be sliding into a dangerous abyss in which some of the most important elements of therapy are lost and vulnerable people are in the dark over safety.

"We're worried that although some receive helpful advice, other people may receive misleading or incorrect information about their mental health with potentially dangerous consequences."