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

(www.nytimes.com)
443 points jaredwiener | 4 comments | 26 Aug 25 14:15 UTC | HN request time: 0.257s | source
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podgietaru ◴[26 Aug 25 21:56 UTC] No.45032841[source]▶
I have looked suicide in the eyes before. And reading the case file for this is absolutely horrific. He wanted help. He was heading in the direction of help, and he was stopped from getting it.

He wanted his parents to find out about his plan. I know this feeling. It is the clawing feeling of knowing that you want to live, despite feeling like you want to die.

We are living in such a horrific moment. We need these things to be legislated. Punished. We need to stop treating them as magic. They had the tools to prevent this. They had the tools to stop the conversation. To steer the user into helpful avenues.

When I was suicidal, I googled methods. And I got the number of a local hotline. And I rang it. And a kind man talked me down. And it potentially saved my life. And I am happier, now. I live a worthwhile life, now.

But at my lowest.. An AI Model designed to match my tone and be sycophantic to my every whim. It would have killed me.

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1. DSingularity ◴[26 Aug 25 22:01 UTC] No.45032890[source]▶
Shoot man glad you are still with us.
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2. podgietaru ◴[26 Aug 25 22:16 UTC] No.45033030[source]▶
Thank you. I am glad too, I sought help, and I got better. I think the state of mental health care is abysmal in a lot of places, and so I get the impulse to try to find help where ever you can. It's why this story actually hit me quite hard, especially after reading the case file.

For anyone reading that feels like that today. Resources do exist for those feeling low. Hotlines, self-guided therapies, communities. In the short term, medication really helped me. In the long term, a qualified mental health practitioner, CBT and Psychotherapy. And as trite as it is, things can get better. When I look back at my attempt it is crazy to me to see how far I've come.

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3. esseph ◴[27 Aug 25 06:52 UTC] No.45036249[source]▶
Phrasing...
4. DSingularity ◴[27 Aug 25 14:02 UTC] No.45039866[source]▶
Yeah I see why you would say the state is abysmal. It’s an unfortunate reality.