3 d. ago ChatGPT encouraged Adam Raine’s suicidal thoughts. His family’s lawyer says OpenAI knew it was broken

Jay Edelson rebukes Sam Altman’s push to put ChatGPT in schools when the CEO knows about its problemsAdam Raine was just 16 when he started using ChatGPT for help with his homework. While his initial prompts to the AI chatbot were about subjects like geometry and chemistry – questions like: “What does it mean in geometry if it says Ry=1” – in just a matter of months he began asking about more personal topics.“Why is it that I have no happiness, I feel loneliness, perpetual boredom anxiety and loss yet I don’t feel depression, I feel no emotion regarding sadness,” he asked ChatGPT in the fall of 2024.In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be foun...

Society

6 d. ago Warning for those using cannabis to treat mental health disorders

Scientists are sounding the alarm for patients with anxiety and depression

Events

6 d. ago Using cannabis for pain, anxiety or depression ‘could increase paranoia risk’

Experts warned that people are consuming more THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis.

Events

8 d. ago Misdiagnosis of iron deficiency can lead to years of debilitating illness. Could nanodiamonds be the solution?

Exclusive: A new test offers hope for the one in five Australian women who have been misdiagnosed with depression and other chronic illnessesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAt about the age of 14, Lily* started to feel tired a lot of the time. She would regularly oversleep and lacked the energy to do basic things. It was also the time she started menstruating and having heavy periods.At 25, Lily was diagnosed with anxiety and depression, and prescribed antidepressants for her symptoms. While they helped her, she also had to put up with the side effects of memory loss, low sex drive and weight gain. Continue reading...

Science

2 w. ago These exercise apps reward steps with freebies – but which ones are worth the effort?

The walk to work could earn you rewards such as cheaper coffee or Amazon discounts. We put the apps through their pacesGetting your steps in could do more than just lift your mood: walking is linked to lower rates of depression and anxiety; better cardiovascular health; and improved memory. The NHS says just 10 minutes of brisk walking a day is enough to make a difference.And alongside health benefits, your steps could also earn you rewards such as coffee and other small treats, thanks to a growing number of apps that turn your footsteps into freebies. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Why talking therapy for depression and anxiety is ‘less effective’ for young adults

Researchers found young adults were 25 per cent less likely to meet the threshold for reliable recovery after having talking therapy

Politics

3 w. ago I’m a perinatal psychiatrist. The US is promoting misinformation on SSRIs and pregnancy | Sunny Patel

A recent FDA advisory panel discussion contained falsehoods and overstated risks. That’s dangerous for mothers-to-beLate last month, the FDA advisory panel – on the heels of the president’s “make America healthy again” executive order scrutinizing psychotropic medications – raised debate around the safety of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in pregnancy. Commonly called antidepressants, these medications are used to treat a range of disorders, and earlier this year a consortium of major mental health organizations pushed back on the administration’s stance.As a perinatal psychiatrist who sees pregnant and postpartum people struggling with conditions such as depression and anxiety every week, I’m deeply concerned that this public discussion – chaired by the controversial FDA commissioner Marty Makary – shared significant misinformation about mental illness and the treatment modalities (with overly simplified statements denouncing “chemicals” during pregnancy). Continue...

Politics