The Guardian revealed how people were being put at risk of harm by false and misleading health information in Google AI Overviews. The Guardian revealed how people were being put at risk of harm by false and misleading health information in Google AI Overviews. Exclusive: England and Wales charity to examine safeguards after Guardian exposed'very dangerous' advice on Google AI Overviews'Very dangerous': a Mind mental health expert on Google's AI summaries Mind is launching a significant inquiry into artificial intelligence and mental health after a Guardian investigation exposed how Google's AI Overviews gave people "very dangerous" medical advice. In a year-long commission, the mental health charity, which operates in England and Wales, will examine the risks and safeguards required as AI increasingly influences the lives of millions of people affected by mental health issues worldwide. The inquiry - the first of its kind globally - will bring together the world's leading doctors and mental health professionals, as well as people with lived experience, health providers, policymakers and tech companies.

Plus: social media firms have agreed to be assessed on how effectively they protect teens' mental health A "QuitGPT" campaign is urging people to cancel their ChatGPT subscriptions In September, Alfred Stephen, a freelance software developer in Singapore, purchased a ChatGPT Plus subscription, which costs $20 a month and offers more access to advanced models, to speed up his work. But he grew frustrated with the chatbot's coding abilities and its gushing, meandering replies. Then he came across a post on Reddit about a campaign called QuitGPT. QuitGPT is one of the latest salvos in a growing movement by activists and disaffected users to cancel their subscriptions. In just the past few weeks, users have flooded Reddit with stories about quitting the chatbot. And while it's unclear how many users have joined the boycott, there's no denying QuitGPT is getting attention.

"It seems like this past week has been quite challenging for you," a disembodied voice tells me, before proceeding to ask a series of increasingly personal questions. "Have you been feeling down or depressed?" "Can you describe what this feeling has been like for you?" "Does the feeling lift at all when something good happens?" When I respond to each one, my chatbot interviewer thanks me for my honesty and empathises with any issues. By the end of the conversation, I will have also spoken about my sleep patterns, sex drive and appetite for food.

Researchers are scrambling to figure out why generative AI appears to lead some people to a state of "psychosis." Listen to more stories on the Noa app. Chatbots are marketed as great companions, able to answer any question at any time. They're not just tools, but confidants; they do your homework, write love notes, and, as one recent lawsuit against OpenAI details, might readily answer 1,460 messages from the same manic user in a 48-hour period. Jacob Irwin, a 30-year-old cybersecurity professional who says he has no previous history of psychiatric incidents, is suing the tech company, alleging that ChatGPT sparked a "delusional disorder" that led to his extended hospitalization.

Environment Animals Pets Dogs Pet dogs can help teens' mental health Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. It's old news that having a dog provides a lot of benefits. Playing with a pooch can help our brains concentrate and relax, a family dog can help prevent food allergies in children, and even fulfill our primal need to nurture. They also may have some sway over some of the tiniest organisms around--the microbes that live in our bodies. A study published December 3 in the journal found that the family dog prompts changes in our gut microbiome that result in better mental health.

Hillsborough police report'may not give answers' Families of some of those killed in the Hillsborough disaster fear they may once again be denied full accountability as the long-delayed report into police conduct surrounding the stadium crush is due to be published on Tuesday. Several people who worked on the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation - including a former director - have told the BBC they doubt the report will deliver all the answers survivors and bereaved relatives were promised. Some have warned that it may lead to accusations of another Hillsborough cover-up. Families have also criticised the length and cost of the investigation - the largest of its kind ever carried out in England and Wales. The police watchdog has spent more than 13 years examining the actions of South Yorkshire Police and other forces in the aftermath of the 1989 disaster in which 97 Liverpool supporters were killed during an FA Cup semi-final at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough ground.

Brain scans of 3,802 people show how the brain's structure changes at four major turning points. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. A team of neuroscientists at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom identified five broad phases of brain structure over the course of an average human life. These eras occur as the human brain rewires to support the different ways of thinking while we grow, mature, and eventually decline . In the study, they compared the brains of 3,802 people between ages zero and 90, using datasets of MRI diffusion scans .

There is no doubt artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to improve access to mental health care. "One could imagine a world where AI serves as the'front line' for mental health, providing a clearinghouse of resources and available services for individuals seeking help,'' wrote the authors of the 2023 article "The Potential Influence of AI on Population Mental Health." Targeted interventions delivered digitally through chatbots "can help reduce the population burden of mental illness, particularly in hard-to-reach populations and contexts, for example, through stepped care approaches that aim to help populations with the highest risk following natural disasters," the article states. Besides Nomi, there are an increasing number of AI platforms people are using to create chatbots to take on several roles, including that of ad hoc therapist. Yet, while AI can assist in mental health management, it cannot replace human intuition. A trained therapist observes nuances that AI can't, such as body language, tone shifts, and unspoken emotions. Chatbots can be helpful, but mental health experts stress that they should never fully replace the human experience. That said, these mainstream chatbots are frequently being used for therapeutic purposes, as opposed to chatbots designed with mental health management in mind. Industry observers say the reasons are many: They provide emotional support when people are not ready to reach out to a therapist. They are anonymous, easy to use, convenient, available anytime, safe, judgment-free, affordable, and fast. These general-purpose chatbots help by providing comfort, validation, and a safe space for users to express themselves--all without the stigma that sometimes comes with traditional therapy settings. "Talking to a therapist can be intimidating, expensive, or complicated to access, and sometimes you need someone--or something--to listen at that exact moment,'' said Stephanie Lewis, a licensed clinical social worker and executive director of Epiphany Wellness addiction and mental health treatment centers.

There is an increasing number of virtual communities and forums available on the web. With social media, people can freely communicate and share their thoughts, ask personal questions, and seek peer-support, especially those with conditions that are highly stigmatized, without revealing personal identity. We study the state-of-the-art research methodologies and findings on mental health challenges like depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, from the pervasive use of social media data. We also discuss how these novel thinking and approaches can help to raise awareness of mental health issues in an unprecedented way. Specifically, this chapter describes linguistic, visual, and emotional indicators expressed in user disclosures. The main goal of this chapter is to show how this new source of data can be tapped to improve medical practice, provide timely support, and influence government or policymakers. In the context of social media for mental health issues, this chapter categorizes social media data used, introduces different deployed machine learning, feature engineering, natural language processing, and surveys methods and outlines directions for future research.

We conducted three 90 - minute workshops at Talenthub Op Zuid, each with a different group of participants (total N=24, MAge =17.6, SD=1.2, see S upplement for additional details). In the first workshop, participants reviewed the prior 13 personas from Stage 1 and critiqued them for gaps in relevance. The scoping personas generated from survey and forum data gave youth stakeholders a concrete starting point for consulting as experts by experience in initial co - design activities. They challenged the realism of the scoping personas . Using fill - in - the - blank templates to guide but not restrict their persona creation (created by a youth member of the research team with design training, see Supplement), youth added contextual details to the project personas, such as daily routines, stressors, and digital habits, and brainstormed plausible backstories involving bullying, school difficulties, or parental conflict. The second workshop engaged a new participant group who expanded on previous outputs and addressed additional questions on living environment and emotional support needs, as this was suggested as relevant by youth from the prior workshop . Participants revised or created new personas b ased on their own or peers' experiences. In t he third workshop, a new group of participants again reviewed prior co - creation and outputs and further refined the personas .