Overview
- An Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica research letter reviewing nearly 54,000 Danish psychiatric patient records identified 38 cases where chatbot interactions were compatible with worsening symptoms.
- The EHR search spanned 10.7 million clinical notes and flagged 181 notes from 126 patients, with delusions most common, alongside suicidality, eating disorders, mania, OCD, depression, and anxiety.
- Cases mentioning potential harm rose steadily from early 2023 through mid-2025, and authors say the count likely underestimates true incidence because clinicians were not routinely asking about chatbot use.
- Some patients appeared to use chatbots constructively, including 32 for companionship or symptom understanding and 20 for practical tasks, but the authors urge controlled trials before any therapeutic adoption.
- The study does not establish causation, and the authors call for clinician vigilance and consideration of central regulation to reduce risks for people with severe mental illness.