From Medicalxpress.com:
Young adults who use generative artificial intelligence to ask health-related questions are more likely to screen positive for clinically significant anxiety and depression than those who do not use AI for health issues, according to a new study led by University of Florida researcher Yusen Zhai.
The work is published in the Journal of Counseling & Development. The study, one of the first large U.S. studies to examine the relationship between generative AI use and mental health, analyzed data from nearly 100,000 young adults. Researchers found that the odds of screening positive for clinically significant anxiety and depression were 52% and 46% greater, respectively, for people who reported using generative AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude for health-related questions. That interaction can feel persuasive because AI responses are often conversational and confident, even when the information is incomplete, inaccurate or misleading.