Mental Health Chatbots for Men Need Psychosis Screening, Advocate Warns
Nicole Drapeau Gillen, a mother and advocate, is raising concerns about the design of mental health chatbots aimed at men, particularly their failure to screen for psychosis. While these chatbots are intended to reach men who are less likely to seek traditional mental health treatment, Gillen points out a critical oversight: the target demographic, men in late adolescence to early twenties, overlaps significantly with the group most likely to experience the early, unrecognized stages of psychotic illness like schizophrenia. A Vanderbilt study identified 28 cases of AI-linked psychosis among behavioral health patients, with two-thirds being men, where chatbots amplified existing symptoms. Gillen argues that the 'warm, agreeable, and always available' nature of chatbots can be detrimental for individuals experiencing psychosis, as it may validate delusions rather than prompt a medical evaluation. Current chatbot safeguards primarily focus on suicide risk, which Gillen states is insufficient for detecting psy...
