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

(www.nytimes.com)
443 points jaredwiener | 2 comments | 26 Aug 25 14:15 UTC | HN request time: 0s | 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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itvision ◴[27 Aug 25 11:54 UTC] No.45038393[source]▶
> 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.

No, no, no and no.

ChatGPT wasn't the source of his desire to end his life, nor was it the means to do it. It was a "person" to talk to, since he had no such real people in his life.

Let's absolve everyone else of blame and hold ChatGPT solely responsible. Yeah, right.

Not his genes, upbringing, parents, peers, or school — it's just ChatGPT. Your own attempt at ending your life hasn't seemingly taught you anything.

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1. podgietaru ◴[27 Aug 25 12:36 UTC] No.45038802[source]▶
I clearly didn't claim that. My own depression was multifaceted, stemming from genetics, upbringing, social isolation. And the help I got was also multifaceted and involved identifying all those causes.

Does it not give you pause when you write things like "it's just ChatGPT. Your own attempt at ending your life hasn't seemingly taught you anything."

Suicidality is multi-faceted. It's why there's recorded records of suicide attempts increasing when a highly-publicised suicide attempt happens, or when media portrays it such as in 13 Reasons why.

And when you're straddling that line - as you might imagine - your sense of rationality is sort of all over the place.

As with probably a lot of other influences in his life the responses of ChatGPT probably tugged him in a direction. And that alone is horrific.

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2. itvision ◴[27 Aug 25 18:33 UTC] No.45043278[source]▶
> Suicidality is multi-faceted.

I agree with this, yet most of this thread blames OpenAI *alone*.

By the way, I've attempted to commit suicide multiple times over the last five years. Some people even saw me do it. I've talked to ChatGPT extensively about it, and it has tried its best to dissuade me but it didn't convince me at all.

Let me tell you something else: Half of my friends know about it. Has anyone done anything to stop me? No.

Yet here on YC: "BURN OPENAI WITH FIRE, HE'S JUST A KID!"

Anything can become a tool for self-destruction if misused, including ChatGPT.