Daily AI Use Linked to 30% Higher Depression Risk, Especially in Middle-Aged Adults

Daily Generative AI Use Linked to Increased Risk for Depressive Symptoms

Daily use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) was linked to increased risk for depressive symptoms and other adverse outcomes, particularly in younger and middle-aged adults, new research showed. In a US survey study with nearly 21,000 adult participants, the risk for at least moderate depression was 30% higher in daily AI users than in nonusers. The association was particularly strong among people aged 25-64 years, who were 30-50% more likely to report depressive symptoms. "This emerging picture is consistent with previous observations regarding social media use," lead author Roy H. Perlis, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, and colleagues wrote. The findings were published online on January 21 in JAMA Network Open. Deeper Dive Use of generative AI increased sharply following the release of ChatGPT 3.5 (OpenAI) in late 2022, investigators noted. Some studies suggest excessive daily use may be associated with dependence and social isolation. And anecdotal reports point to possible harms to mental health, including delusions in vulnerable individuals, they added. To investigate further, researchers used data from a 50-state internet survey conducted for 1 month in 2025, with 20,847 adult participants (mean age, 47 years; 50% men). Of these individuals, 10.3% reported at least daily use of AI, and 5.3% reported using it multiple times per day. Among those with daily or greater AI use, the biggest reason given for the use was for personal reasons (87.1%), followed by work (48%) and school (11.4%). Outcome measures included the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) to measure depressive symptom severity, the two-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-2) screen, and the Brief Irritability Test. Men, younger adults, and those with higher education were among those who most commonly used AI at least daily. In adjusted models, greater use of AI was linked to greater PHQ-9 scores (both daily use and multiple times per day, P < .001), greater GAD-2 scores (P < .001 for both), and greater irritability scores (P = .001 and .004, respectively). Compared to nonuse, daily use was also linked to greater odds of having moderate or severe depressive symptoms in the full population (odds ratio [OR], 1.29), as well as in those aged 25-44 years (OR, 1.32) and 45-64 years (OR, 1.54) but not in those aged 65 years or older. "This survey study found that generative AI use was associated with modestly but statistically significantly greater depressive and other negative affective symptoms, warranting efforts to understand the potential for a causal relationship," the investigators wrote. The findings also suggest that "there is a need to understand the nature and mechanism of this association and its heterogeneity across age-defined subgroups," they added. Several Caveats In a statement from the UK nonprofit Science Media Centre (SMC), David Harley, PhD, co-chair of the British Psychological Society's Cyberpsychology Section, said that the findings seem to replicate those of previous studies tying depression and anxiety to digital engagement. However, Harley, who was not involved with the current research, noted several caveats with the findings, including whether they could be generalizable to other countries. "Is American use of AI the same as the UK and other countries (how common is it in the workplace, for instance)? Also, we know that the context of use is very important if we really want to understand AI's relationship to mental health," he said. Also commenting for SMC, David A. Ellis, PhD, chair of Behavioral Science at the University of Bath, Bath, England, cautioned that use of AI relied on self-reports, calling that a "far from perfect" measure of technology use. "Assuming the effect is not statistical noise, what is suggested is that AI use may harm mental health. However, there are three equally plausible explanations for the direction of the relationship reported in this work," Ellis added. The first two are that AI use may lead to depression or that depression may lead to AI use, he noted. "Or there is in fact a third variable that has not been measured (eg, social isolation). Indeed, the direction could be entirely reversed from what the title of the paper implies," Ellis concluded. The survey was funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. Perlis reported receiving personal fees from Genomind, Alkermes, and Circular Genomics, outside the submitted work. Two other investigators reported receiving grants from the two survey funders, outside the submitted work. The other researchers and Harley reported no relevant financial relationships. Ellis reported current or past financial relationships with UK Research and Innovation, the National Institute for Health and Care Research, We Adapt, Duco, Plexal, the BBC, Girton College, and the University of Cambridge. He is also a member of a Department for Science, Innovation and Technology research commission.

Talk to AI every day? New research says it might signal depression

Study finds daily AI chatbot use tied to higher rates of moderate depressive symptoms in U.S. adults. Spending time chatting with AI assistants like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, or similar systems might be more than just a tech habit. A new study published in JAMA Network Open suggests that people who use AI chatbots daily are more likely to report moderate depressive symptoms compared with those who interact with them less frequently. Researchers found a roughly 30% higher odds of at least moderate depression among regular users, though they are careful to emphasize that this link is an association, not proof that chatbot use causes depression. This finding comes from a national survey of nearly 21,000 U.S. adults conducted in 2025, where participants detailed how often they interacted with generative AI tools and completed standard mental health questionnaires. Within that group, about 10% said they used AI daily, and 5% said they engaged with chatbots multiple times throughout the day. Those daily users showed higher rates of reported depressive symptoms and other negative emotional effects, such as anxiety and irritability. What the Research Actually Shows Just to be clear, researchers behind the study stress an important nuance: the results don't prove that AI chatbot use causes depression. However, it's possible that people already experiencing depressive symptoms or loneliness may be more inclined to talk with AI frequently, rather than the chats being the trigger. Some analyses also hinted that middle-aged adults (45-64) showed particularly strong associations, though the reasons why remain unclear. That doesn't mean AI chatbots lack potential benefits. In specialized therapeutic settings, for example, CBT-based or clinically guided systems, some evidence shows reductions in depressive symptoms and loneliness when designed with safeguards and clear boundaries in place. But casual use for everyday companionship or support appears to be a different story. Mental health professionals caution that heavy reliance on AI interactions can make underlying issues harder to address with human support. Recommended Videos For now, the new research highlights a relationship worth better understanding as AI tools become more interwoven with daily life. Whether frequent AI chat reflects a coping strategy for emotional distress, a contributor to social withdrawal, or something more complex entirely, experts say people should be mindful of why they're turning to artificial voices. It's essential to not hesitate to seek human connection and professional support when needed.

Using AI for advice or other personal reasons linked to depression and anxiety

People who interact with chatbots for emotional support or other personal reasons are more likely to report symptoms of depression or anxiety, a new study finds. The researchers from Mass General Brigham surveyed 20,847 mostly white men and women in the United States about their AI usage and mental health symptoms. In the survey, published Wednesday in JAMA Network Open, 10.3% of participants reported using artificial intelligence "at least daily" and 5% reported using it "multiple times per day." Of those using an AI program at least daily, nearly half were using it for work and about 11% used it for school. Among daily users, 87.1% reported using it for personal reasons, which could include recommendations, advice or emotional support. Dr. Roy Perlis, a lead author of the study, said that most people's exposure to artificial intelligence is through chatbots. The mean age of the participants in the study was 47. Those who used chatbots daily for personal reasons were more likely to experience at least moderate depression or other feelings of anxiety and irritability, compared to people who didn't use AI. Participants were asked whether or how often in the past two weeks they had trouble concentrating, sleeping, eating or thought about hurting themselves. Common symptoms of depression include feelings of sadness, low self-esteem, lack of energy and lacking motivation. Users with ages between 45 and 64 were more likely to report depressive symptoms with AI use. Previous research has shown that some people turn to AI for emotional support and even romantic relationships. Early studies have shown that chatbots specifically designed for mental health treatment may be useful as an adjunct for therapy. Other studies analyzing general chatbots, such as OpenAI's ChatGPT, said they may be problematic to people with mental health conditions. However, the American Psychological Association advises against using AI as a replacement for therapy and psychological treatment. Perlis said the average difference in depression severity between chatbot users and nonusers was small, but warned some people may struggle more severely than others. "There's probably a subset of people where AI use is associated with no change in their mood, or even benefit in their mood," said Perlis, who serves as vice chair for research in the department of psychiatry at Mass General Brigham. "But that also means there are a subset where AI use is probably associated with worsening of their mood, and for some people, that can be substantially greater levels of depression." The researchers observed what's called a "dose response," meaning the more frequently someone used AI, the stronger their symptoms were. Using AI for work or school wasn't associated with symptoms of depression. For people who use AI for personal reasons, Perlis said it can "run the gamut" on the nature of their interactions, and AI chatbots are a way of having a "social interaction that otherwise would be difficult for them." "It's not the case at all that all AI is harmful and chatbots are harmful," said Perlis, who is also an associate editor of JAMA Network Open. "I think my concern is particularly for these sort of general-purpose chatbots. They're really not designed to take up people's social support or mental health support, and so when we use them that way, I think there's some risk." The survey has a number of limitations. It shows an association between AI and negative mental health symptoms, not cause and effect. The study also didn't identify what specific AI programs participants were using, nor did it define what personal use meant. 'A vicious cycle' It also may be likely that people who are more depressed are more likely to turn to AI programs for companionship. Dr. Jodi Halpern, co-director for the Kavli Center for Ethics, Science and the Public at UC Berkeley, noted the study doesn't show that AI causes depression. "It could go in either direction," she said. "It could be a vicious cycle, we just have no idea. So the idea that when people are more depressed, they may use AI more for personal uses is very plausible." Nicholas Jacobson, associate professor of biomedical data science, psychiatry and computer science at Dartmouth College, said people may seek out AI for therapy if they're unhappy with standard care and because it's easier to access. "There's nowhere near enough providers to go around. And folks are looking for greater support than they can access otherwise," he said. The study also found that men, younger adults, higher earners, those with higher education and those in urban settings used AI more frequently. Jacobson said it's not certain why some people may be more likely to use AI, or are more negatively affected by it than others. "We don't know enough about this," he said. "I think we need more studies to really understand why it is those groups in particular are more likely to use this, certainly." Halpern added that future research on AI should focus on its effects on people's mental health, and this study "stretches our attention to look at the people we might not have been paying attention to." Perlis' study isn't a warning call, he said, but people should take into account their AI use and whether it's helping them or not. "[People] should be mindful when they're interacting with a chatbot about how often they're doing it, what they're doing it instead of, and if they feel better or worse after they've had an extended interaction," he said.

Spending A Lot Of Time With AI Chatbots? You've A Higher Risk For Depression, Study Finds

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay ReporterTHURSDAY, Jan. 22, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Do you find yourself spending hours chatting with AI programs like ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, Claude or DeepSeek? Odds are you might be suffering from depression. People who use AI chatbots daily are about 30% more likely to have at least moderate levels of depression, researchers reported Jan. 21 in JAMA Network Open. "We found that daily AI use was common and significantly associated with depressive and other negative affective symptoms" like anxiety and irritability, concluded the research team led by psychiatrist Dr. Roy Perlis, director of the Center for Quantitative Health at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Age also appears to play a role, with middle-aged adults having particularly higher odds of depression if they frequently use generative AI, researchers found. Regular AI users between 45 and 64 years of age had a 54% higher risk of depression, compared to 32% higher odds among those between 25 and 44, results showed. Those results indicate that "some individuals may be more apt to experience depressive symptoms associated with AI use," researchers wrote. For the new study, researchers surveyed nearly 21,000 U.S. adults between April and May 2025, using a standard mental health questionnaire to track symptoms of depression. Participants were also asked about how often they used AI. About 10% said they use generative AI daily, including more than 5% who said they turn to it multiple times a day. From the study design, it's hard to tell whether AI is promoting depression or if depressed people are turning to AI for solace, researchers said. Dr. Sunny Tang, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Northwell Health's Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research in Manhasset, New York, agreed that it's hard to tell which way the association works. "People who are already experiencing mental health symptoms may be more likely to use generative AI for personal use by seeking help and support for their symptoms, persuading loneliness, or finding validation," said Tang, who was not involved in the study. "When thinking about the link between AI and mental health, we need to think in multiple directions - could AI use negatively impact mental health? But also, how do differences and mental health change the way that we interact with AI?" said Tang, who practices at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Queens, New York. Loneliness could be an important factor, she said. "A lot of people are feeling more and more isolated these days, whether it's because they're working remotely or for other reasons," Tang said. "We know that loneliness is a really strong predictor of mental health symptoms like depression, anxiety and irritability. I think that it's definitely one of the directions where we should be looking to try to understand these relationships." The results also showed that AI companies need to produce products that take people's mental health into consideration, Tang said. "They should keep in ... the forefront the fact that people with mental illness and people with mental health symptoms are going to be actively engaging with their products," she said. "As all physicians know, first, do no harm." Tang said "better guardrails" need to be in place to make sure AI are not providing advice that makes existing mental health symptoms worse. "Companies should ask themselves, 'Is there a way to build AI so that I can be more supportive of people with mental health needs?' " Tang said. More information The National Alliance on Mental Illness has more on AI and mental health. SOURCES: JAMA Network Open, Jan. 21, 2026; Dr. Sunny Tang, assistant professor of psychiatry, Northwell Health Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research and Zucker Hillside Hospital