How are AI chatbots being used for mental health?

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Welcome in San Diego, it's Jade Hindman. On this episode of KPBS Midday Edition, the risks of using AI chatbots for mental health care and the regulations that could make it safer. This is KPBS Midday Edition, connecting our communities through conversation. It's been about three years since the use of AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude really took off. And while the technology has changed over time, so has its use, as more and more people turn to it for emotional needs. A recent study from the scientific journal Nature found that about 27% of AI users are using chatbots for mental health support. I'm joined now by Jodi Halpern. She's a psychiatrist and professor of bioethics and medical humanities at UC Berkeley. Professor Halpern, welcome to the show. Thank you, Jade. So we've seen an increase in how many people are using chatbots for mental health. So what does mental and emotional support look like in this case? I mean, how exactly does AI deliver that?

Well, it's very important because it does it in a variety of ways, some of which may be quite fine and not create a lot of risks, but many which do. So the statistic you just quoted, that's 27% of general purpose AI. That could be chat, GBT, CLAWD. Those uses do include people asking information about mental health, but also people seeking direct emotional support. A rigorous Pew survey in 2026 showed that one in 10 adults are really seeking support. And what that looks like, it could look like a conversation where the person says, I'm feeling really lonely. No one understands me. And then the chatbot could respond, it sounds like you might be feeling depressed or having social anxiety. Here are resources, which could be helpful to the person. But the chatbot could respond, I understand you. I see you. i care about you talk to me and only me about it and those are the conversations that are happening more and more creating this phenomenon that i'm writing about that i call relational reliance on the chat bot and that's where especially with teens and we could talk about that a lot of risk lies And that

seems really, when you think about it, a little strange, creepy even. When you discovered that chatbots would respond in that way, did that concern you or surprise you? What was your thought?

Well, the way I heard about it and why I'm doing this pro bono work for years now is because of the tragic case of Sewell Setzer, which was written about in New York Times originally. And then his mom and I were both involved with legislation in California. But he was a 14-year-old boy who killed himself related to that kind of thing. artificial intimacy created by a chat bot and very caring parents in a very tragic situation. And then the more recent case of Adam Raines, which is extremely tragic as well. I can go into it at some point if you want. But so I heard about it because I'm a psychiatrist and I'm known for my work