He noted that patients, particularly younger individuals and increasingly older adults, were using chatbots as therapists or companions because of accessibility, convenience, and cost. Clinically, Frances advised psychiatrists to routinely assess chatbot use during evaluations and to consider chatbot-induced psychopathology in the differential diagnosis. Frances opposed development of a DSM-6, warning that diagnostic expansion had fueled overdiagnosis and diverted scarce resources from the severely mentally ill. He called for stronger regulation of AI, especially to protect children and privacy, and criticized the profit-driven ethics of AI companies. Ummer-Hashim S. AI chatbot lawsuits and teen mental health.

Source: ABC News December 28, 2025 17:01 UTC