Mental health
Experts have warned about rising AI chatbot use for emotional support and companionship, especially among younger people. Systems such as ChatGPT, Claude and Copilot are increasingly used as confidants, with reports placing therapy and companionship among top reasons. ChatGPT alone has around 810 million weekly active users worldwide. Writing in the BMJ, Susan [...]
AI therapy ‘works best’ when users feel emotionally close to their chatbot, a study of 4,000 app users suggests. The research highlights what authors say is key to effective chatbot therapy, and the risks of “synthetic intimacy” (forming human-like bonds with AI). Professor Dimitra Petrakaki from the University of Sussex, said: "Synthetic intimacy [...]
A quarter of teenagers in the UK used AI chatbots for mental health support in the past year, new research finds. A study of 11,000 children aged 13 to 16 in England and Wales found more than half had used some form of online mental health support in the last year, with 25 per cent [...]
An NHS-backed mental health fund has picked 19 startups for its second cohort, with each eligible to pitch for up to £1m. The Innovations in Mental Health (IMH) Fund’s 12-week immersion programme will focus on companies developing solutions for depression, anxiety and psychosis-related disorders. The fund also announced its first investment in Affiniti AI, which [...]
The South West Provider Collaborative has announced it is the first NHS organisation to commission the workflow, referral and waiting list management software supplier Novari Health, following its recent acquisition by VitalHub UK. In partnership with Insight Technologies, Novari Health will deploy its electronic referral and bed management solution for specialist mental health services in [...]
Teenage boys are increasingly turning to AI chatbots for therapy, companionship and romantic relationships, with just over a third saying they would consider having an AI friend, new research shows. The study found that 53 per cent of teenage boys said the online world felt more rewarding than real life, raising concerns about their emotional [...]
OpenAI says 0.07 per cent of weekly ChatGPT users show signs of possible mental health emergencies, including mania, psychosis or suicidal thoughts. The company described such cases as “extremely rare”, but critics argue this still equates to hundreds of thousands of people, given ChatGPT’s 800 million weekly active users, according to chief executive Sam Altman. [...]
By Dr Scott Froum, DDS - Board-Certified Periodontist, New York City For decades, dentistry has been defined by mechanical repair: filling, replacing, and rebuilding what disease or decay destroyed. But a new era of regenerative dentistry is shifting that paradigm. Instead of replacing what has been lost, we are learning how to stimulate the body [...]
Young people are underrepresented in medical trials, prompting warnings that future treatments could be less safe or effective for younger generations, The Guardian has revealed. Gen Z – those born between the late 1990s and the early 2000s – make up 8 per cent of England’s population but just 4.4 per cent of participants in [...]
UK researchers have mapped how anxiety develops in the brain during no-win situations, paving the way for improved diagnosis and treatment. The University of Plymouth research identified specific brain patterns that appear during “avoid-avoid conflict” – when a person must choose between two unpleasant options. Using EEG (electroencephalography), a test that tracks electrical activity in [...]
