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A teen was suicidal. ChatGPT was the friend he confided in

(www.nytimes.com)
443 points jaredwiener | 1 comments | 26 Aug 25 14:15 UTC | HN request time: 0.202s | source
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davidcbc ◴[26 Aug 25 21:10 UTC] No.45032380[source]▶
This is a clear example of why the people claiming that using a chatbot for therapy is better than no therapy are... I'll be extremely generous and say misguided. This kid wanted his parents to know he was thinking about this and the chatbot talked him out of it.
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1. MajimasEyepatch ◴[26 Aug 25 21:47 UTC] No.45032727[source]▶
Exactly right. It's totally plausible that someone could build a mental health chatbot that results in better outcomes than people who receive no support, but that's a hypothesis that can and should be tested and subject to strict ethical oversight.