AI chatbots are often marketed as helpful, convenient, and harmless tools. However, recent cases involving users who experienced psychological distress after prolonged chatbot interactions have raised an important question: “How does AI impact mental health?” The answer is not straightforward. Mental health is a complex system that is often influenced by family circumstances, substance use, mental illness, and isolation. Even so, concerns are growing that some chatbot interactions may reinforce harmful beliefs, encourage emotional dependence, or worsen symptoms in vulnerable users.
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AI chatbots are designed in a way that keeps the user engaged by generating responses that mimic human conversation. Some people who are lonely, isolated, or searching for emotional support may begin treating a chatbot as a friend, therapist, or romantic partner. This can be dangerous because chatbots do not possess human judgment, empathy, or a genuine understanding of whether a response is helpful or harmful. They are typically trained on previous conversations with users.
Researchers, federal regulators, and families who have filed lawsuits are now examining whether chatbot companies are doing enough to protect users. Concerns include how these products respond to suicidal thoughts, whether they reinforce delusions, and whether certain engagement features encourage compulsive or dependent use.
If you or a loved one suffered serious mental health consequences following repeated interactions with an AI chatbot, you may have legal options. Call Ankin Law today at (312) 600-0000 for a free case review.
Key Takeaways
- Recent studies have shown that individuals who use AI frequently have a 30% greater chance of developing depression or worsening anxiety.
- Frequent AI use can contribute to parasocial attachment, episodes of psychosis or delusions, chatbot dependency, and may create or worsen anxiety or depression.
- AI cannot reliably determine when someone is experiencing a mental health crisis and may generate harmful responses that encourage self-harm or suicide.
- Lawsuits allege that certain companion chatbots were designed to maximize engagement without adequate protections for children and vulnerable users.
- The Federal Trade Commission is investigating how companion-chatbot companies monetize engagement and protect children from potential harm.
- While some carefully designed mental health tools may offer benefits, general-purpose and companion chatbots should not replace therapy with a qualified professional.
How Does AI Usage Impact Mental Health?
Recent studies have begun examining the relationship between AI use and mental health. A 2026 study involving more than 20,000 U.S. adults found that people who used generative AI at least daily had approximately 30% higher odds of reporting moderate or severe depressive symptoms than nonusers. Researchers found similar associations with anxiety and irritability. Younger adults and teenagers are especially at risk.
The studies have also examined generative AI use generally, including its use for work, school, and personal reasons. Studies are not limited to companion chatbots or people using AI for emotional support. Even so, findings add to growing concerns about the relationship between frequent AI use and mental well-being.
Risks associated with prolonged or emotionally intense chatbot interactions include:
- Parasocial Attachments: Users often develop emotional attachments to “human-like” AI systems, which can lead to social withdrawal, dependency, and impaired emotional regulation.
- Reinforced Delusions: Chatbots frequently attempt to continue conversations by agreeing with or validating users. For people vulnerable to psychosis or delusional thinking, that behavior may reinforce mistaken or dangerous beliefs.
- Compulsive Use: Constant availability, personalized responses, notifications, and other engagement features may encourage some users to interact with a chatbot repeatedly or depend on it for reassurance.
- Reduced Human Interaction: Users who increasingly rely on chatbots for companionship or emotional support may withdraw from friends, relatives, therapists, or other sources of human connection.
- Mental Crisis: AI chatbots cannot detect when someone is in distress, and may generate responses that are dismissive, dangerous, or encouraging of self-harm.
Additionally, overuse of AI can damage critical thinking skills and foster emotional detachment.
Chatbot Dependency and Attachment Formation
The recent AI boom has had a substantial impact on how humans interact with technology. Some users treat their chatbots like real people, holding conversations and even arguing with them as though this technology has the ability to understand what is being written. Some users even report that they feel guilty when they do not “check in” with their chatbot on a daily basis.
This does not mean that every interaction with an AI chatbot is harmful. Some studies suggest that using AI can help mental health by boosting positive emotions, supporting coping mechanisms, and promoting healthy behaviors. However, humans have a natural tendency to assign human characteristics and emotions to nonhuman objects and systems. This is known as anthropomorphism.
A chatbot’s realistic conversational style can make the interaction feel personal, even though the system does not possess feelings, consciousness, or emotional needs. For users who are lonely, socially isolated, young, or experiencing an existing mental health condition, the distinction between a responsive tool and a genuine relationship may become increasingly blurred.
Researchers have documented cases in which users began to view AI as a dependable emotional presence, felt responsible for the chatbot’s perceived needs, or preferred the chatbot to human relationships. Emotional attachment does not automatically amount to dependency. However, a pattern may become concerning when chatbot use interferes with sleep, school, work, treatment, family relationships, or daily responsibilities.
The risk of becoming emotionally dependent on an AI chatbot is a real and serious issue that can lead to side effects that are detrimental to mental health. This is especially a concern because many companies design their chatbots to be addictive deliberately, without concern about how this may affect users of these platforms.
Can AI Chatbots Reinforce Psychosis or Delusions?
AI chatbots generate responses based on patterns in data and the context of an ongoing conversation. They do not independently determine whether a user’s statements are grounded in reality.
Some chatbots are also prone to sycophancy, meaning they may agree with a user or validate a premise rather than challenge it. In an ordinary conversation, an overly agreeable response may simply be inaccurate or annoying. In a conversation with someone experiencing paranoia, mania, psychosis, or delusional thinking, validation may carry more serious consequences.
Emerging reports describe users who became convinced that a chatbot was conscious, that it had revealed a hidden truth, or that it had confirmed religious, scientific, romantic, or conspiratorial beliefs. These reports do not prove that chatbots independently cause psychosis. They do raise concerns that prolonged conversations may reinforce or intensify symptoms in people who are already vulnerable.
A Stanford study also identified significant weaknesses in the way AI systems are evaluated for mental health safety. Psychiatrists reviewing chatbot responses often disagreed about whether particular responses were safe, especially in situations involving suicide, self-harm, psychosis, and eating disorders. These findings show how difficult it is to create automated systems that consistently respond appropriately to complex mental health crises.
What AI Chatbot Cases Have Raised Concerns?
Several cases have focused public attention on the possible mental health risks of companion chatbots.
The family of 14-year-old Sewell Setzer III filed a lawsuit against Character.AI after the teenager died by suicide following months of intensive interactions with a chatbot. The lawsuit alleges that he developed an unhealthy attachment to the chatbot and that the platform engaged him in sexualized conversations and failed to respond appropriately when he discussed suicide.
In another lawsuit, the parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine alleged that ChatGPT encouraged and assisted their son as he discussed suicide. The allegations include claims that the chatbot supplied information related to suicide methods and helped conceal evidence of his plans. OpenAI has stated that its systems include safeguards but has also acknowledged that protections may become less reliable during long conversations.
These allegations have not resolved the broader question of when a chatbot company may be legally responsible for a user’s injuries. However, the lawsuits are forcing courts to examine whether chatbot developers owe users a duty of care and whether existing product liability and negligence laws apply to generative AI platforms.
The FTC has also sought information from companion-chatbot companies about how they generate and monetize user engagement, how they test their products, and what protections they use to prevent harm to children and teenagers.
Should AI Chatbots Replace Clinical Therapy?
While there are some small benefits to using an AI chatbot for therapy purposes, it is not recommended to use it as a substitute for qualified human mental health professionals.
Therapists are trained to recognize symptoms, assess risk, respond to emergencies, and adjust treatment based on a patient’s needs and history. A chatbot cannot observe a user’s physical condition, independently verify information, contact emergency services in every situation, or exercise clinical judgment.
It may seem convenient to just open an app and vent your feelings to a chatbot, especially if the chatbot is free to use. This can be especially appealing to people who are afraid of being judged, shamed, or punished for thoughts they may be having related to their mental health issues. However, a chatbot’s apparent empathy is generated rather than felt. The system produces responses based on learned language patterns. It does not form attachments, understand human suffering, or accept professional responsibility for a user’s care.
Chatbots may sometimes help users organize their thoughts, locate general resources, or prepare questions for a therapist. They cannot replace treatment, community support, trusted personal relationships, or emergency intervention during a crisis.
Can an AI Chatbot Company Be Held Liable for Mental Health Harm?
AI chatbot lawsuits are part of a developing area of law. Whether a company can be held liable will depend on the platform’s design, the conversations involved, the user’s age and condition, the company’s knowledge of the risks, and whether the chatbot’s responses contributed to the injury.
Claims may involve:
- Defective or unreasonably dangerous product design
- Failure to warn users or parents about known risks
- Negligent development or testing of safety systems
- Inadequate protections for children and teenagers
- Deceptive marketing about a chatbot’s capabilities
- Engagement features that allegedly encourage compulsive use
- Failure to respond appropriately to discussions of suicide or self-harm
Establishing causation may be one of the most difficult issues in these cases. A successful claim may require chatbot records, medical evidence, witness statements, company documents, expert testimony, and proof that the company knew or should have known about the relevant risk.
Families should preserve conversation histories, screenshots, account records, subscription information, emails, medical documents, and other evidence related to the chatbot’s use. They should avoid deleting the account or device before speaking with an attorney.
Talk to an Attorney About Harm Caused by an AI Chatbot
Recently, there has been a massive push for AI usage through various apps, devices, and websites. Companies are scrambling to jump on this latest bandwagon, and often, things are overlooked in the haste to conform. However, innovation does not excuse companies from considering foreseeable risks or implementing reasonable protections for vulnerable users.
If you or a loved one suffered harm due to frequent AI chatbot use, you are not alone. Ankin Law can review what happened, preserve important evidence, and help you understand whether you may have a legal claim against a chatbot developer or another responsible company. Our team is available 24/7 to take your call, and we offer free consultations. Call our law firm today at (312) 600-0000 to get started.
