Drexel University study reveals bond paradox in AI mental health tools used by millions

Most users see AI programs for mental health as supplements to human therapy

As more people turn to artificial intelligence chatbots for emotional and mental health support, a new study from Drexel University suggests that most users see these tools as supplements to - not substitutes for - human therapy. Drawing on millions of Reddit posts, the study highlights both the growing appeal of AI support tools for emotional reassurance, coping and practical guidance, as well as the concerns users express about emotional dependence, misinformation and overreliance on the technology. A 2025 American Psychological Association survey of U.S. adults 18-80 years old suggests almost half of them used AI large-language model tools for mental health purposes in the last year. Related work from Brown University showed that as many as one in eight young adults are turning to AI programs for mental health advice. This growing adoption has also raised concerns about the safety and effectiveness of the programs. The Drexel study, led by researchers in its College of Engineering and Computing, sought to more closely investigate how people are using the programs and what they think of the responses they're getting. The findings will be presented at the 2026 Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics, an international conference on natural language processing and AI. "There is a growing concern right now because people are turning to general-purpose AI chatbots for mental health support," said Shadi Rezapour, PhD, an assistant professor in the College's School of Computer and Information Sciences, who led the research. "But these programs were not designed or clinically validated for this purpose. So, we wanted to understand how people are actually using these systems in everyday settings, and where they see both value and risk." Rezapour's lab, which studies online narratives and develops socially aware AI systems for vulnerable populations, has been a leader in analyzing Reddit posts to observe the evolution of users' relationships with various AI programs. For this study, the team used AI-powered natural language processing programs to sift through more than 4 million posts in 47 subreddit groups related to mental health, to settle on a sample set of 5,126 posts. By examining the posts using two sociological frameworks - one traditionally used to assess the collaborative bond between a therapist and client, and the other to understand the social acceptance and adoption of a new technology - the researchers were able to answer some key questions about how and when people turn to AI for therapy and what they think about those interactions. We found that people turning to AI for mental health support were often seeking emotional support, empathy, reassurance for anxiety management, coping strategies or companionship. We also observed that many users relied on these tools for practical support, including help with organization and managing challenges related to attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder or autism." Shadi Rezapour, PhD, Assistant Professor, Drexel College's School of Computer and Information Sciences Users' attitudes toward the programs reflected cautious apprehension about the technology, with 51% of posts explicitly mentioning risks and limitations of the programs when used in a therapeutic context. Many expressed concerns about becoming addicted to or emotionally dependent on the programs. And for nearly all use cases, analysis showed that more users framed the AI programs as complementary to human therapists, rather than better or worse than them. "What we saw in our results was that few people are using AI as a replacement for therapy," Rezapour said. "More often, they described using it alongside therapy or during moments when human care is unavailable, inaccessible or insufficient." The study also revealed what researchers describe as a "bond paradox." Users reported more positive experiences when AI helped with specific tasks and goals, such as reflection, coping or organization. But a strong emotional bond with AI, when not paired with clear goals or useful tasks, was more often linked to risks, especially in companionship and repeated reassurance-seeking. In those cases, users more often described dependence, worsening symptoms, shame and guilt, and increased emotional reliance on the systems. "Our findings suggest that AI tools should not just be designed to feel warm or human-like," said Elham Aghakhani, the study's lead author and a doctoral student the College. "They need clear boundaries and safeguards, especially in use cases involving companionship or repeated reassurance-seeking, where users more often described dependence, worsening symptoms or difficulty disengaging." Taken together, these results suggest that well-designed AI programs for mental health should be optimized for supportive interactions with clear boundaries, rather than for emotional bonding or companionship, according to the researchers. "While our findings suggest that many users approach these systems with a degree of caution, it remains critical that AI tools designed for mental health support are grounded in established, evidence-based frameworks," Rezapour said. "As these technologies become more widely adopted, it is increasingly important for users to understand both their potential benefits and their limitations." Source: Drexel University Journal reference: Aghakhani, E., & Rezvaneh Rezapour, R., (2026) Like a Therapist, But Not: Reddit Narratives of AI in Mental Health Contexts. DOI: 10.48550/arXiv.2601.20747

Study Exposes Risks of Emotional Bonds With AI Chatbots

Summary: A new study revealed that while people are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence chatbots for emotional and mental health support, the vast majority of users view these systems as supplements to, not substitutes for, human therapy. The research analyzed more than 4 million Reddit posts to map user interactions with large language models. The findings expose a critical "bond paradox": while AI provides genuine value for practical, goal-oriented coping strategies, forming a deep emotional bond with a chatbot frequently accelerates negative psychological risks, including emotional dependence, worsening symptoms, and intense feelings of shame or guilt. Key Facts * The Mental Health Tech Surge: General-purpose AI tools have experienced a massive wave of adoption for psychiatric support. Data highlights that nearly half of U.S. adults aged 18-80 used an AI model for mental health purposes recently, while separate research from Brown University estimates that 1 in 8 young adults now turn to AI programs for mental health guidance. * Mapping the Reddit Dialogue: Led by Dr. Shadi Rezapour, researchers utilized advanced natural language processing tools to sift through over 4 million posts across 47 mental-health-related subreddits. They isolated a core sample of 5,126 highly specific posts to evaluate the evolution of human-AI relationships using sociological frameworks that assess therapist-client bonds and technology adoption. * The Dual Spectrum of Support: The data shows that users frequently seek out AI for emotional reassurance, anxiety management, and immediate companionship. Paradoxically, the tools are heavily relied upon for practical, executive-functioning support, such as helping individuals manage organizational challenges related to ADHD and autism. * The "Bond Paradox" Unmasked: The study isolated a profound architectural split in user outcomes. When users interact with AI for task-oriented goals, such as self-reflection, planning, or learning coping mechanisms, their experiences are highly positive. However, when an interaction focuses purely on emotional bonding, companionship, or repeated reassurance-seeking without clear goals, it correlates heavily with increased emotional reliance, a worsening of psychological symptoms, and difficulty disengaging from the software. * Apprehension Over Replacement: Despite the high volume of use, users maintain a healthy state of cautious apprehension, with 51% of analyzed posts explicitly discussing the severe risks and therapeutic limitations of AI. Across nearly all use cases, users frame the software as a complementary asset used alongside human therapy, or as a bridge during moments when human clinicians are financially or logistically inaccessible. * A Mandate for Strict Behavioral Boundaries: General-purpose chatbots are not clinically validated or designed for psychiatric intervention. Lead author Elham Aghakhani emphasizes that engineering teams must stop designing AI systems solely to feel "warm" or human-like. Instead, mental health AI must be built with strict boundaries, safeguards, and evidence-based frameworks to prevent user addiction and promote safe disengagement. Source: Drexel University As more people turn to artificial intelligence chatbots for emotional and mental health support, a new study from Drexel University suggests that most users see these tools as supplements to -- not substitutes for -- human therapy. Drawing on millions of Reddit posts, the study highlights both the growing appeal of AI support tools for emotional reassurance, coping and practical guidance, as well as the concerns users express about emotional dependence, misinformation and overreliance on the technology. A 2025 American Psychological Association survey of U.S. adults 18-80 years old suggests almost half of them used AI large-language model tools for mental health purposes in the last year. Related work from Brown University showed that as many as one in eight young adults are turning to AI programs for mental health advice. This growing adoption has also raised concerns about the safety and effectiveness of the programs. The Drexel study, led by researchers in its College of Engineering and Computing, sought to more closely investigate how people are using the programs and what they think of the responses they're getting. The findings will be presented at the 2026 Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics, an international conference on natural language processing and AI. "There is a growing concern right now because people are turning to general-purpose AI chatbots for mental health support," said Shadi Rezapour, PhD, an assistant professor in the College's School of Computer and Information Sciences, who led the research. "But these programs were not designed or clinically validated for this purpose. So, we wanted to understand how people are actually using these systems in everyday settings, and where they see both value and risk." Rezapour's lab, which studies online narratives and develops socially aware AI systems for vulnerable populations, has been a leader in analyzing Reddit posts to observe the evolution of users' relationships with various AI programs. For this study, the team used AI-powered natural language processing programs to sift through more than 4 million posts in 47 subreddit groups related to mental health, to settle on a sample set of 5,126 posts. By examining the posts using two sociological frameworks -- one traditionally used to assess the collaborative bond between a therapist and client, and the other to understand the social acceptance and adoption of a new technology -- the researchers were able to answer some key questions about how and when people turn to AI for therapy and what they think about those interactions. "We found that people turning to AI for mental health support were often seeking emotional support, empathy, reassurance for anxiety management, coping strategies or companionship," Rezapour said. "We also observed that many users relied on these tools for practical support, including help with organization and managing challenges related to attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder or autism." Users' attitudes toward the programs reflected cautious apprehension about the technology, with 51% of posts explicitly mentioning risks and limitations of the programs when used in a therapeutic context. Many expressed concerns about becoming addicted to or emotionally dependent on the programs. And for nearly all use cases, analysis showed that more users framed the AI programs as complementary to human therapists, rather than better or worse than them. "What we saw in our results was that few people are using AI as a replacement for therapy," Rezapour said. "More often, they described using it alongside therapy or during moments when human care is unavailable, inaccessible or insufficient." The study also revealed what researchers describe as a "bond paradox." Users reported more positive experiences when AI helped with specific tasks and goals, such as reflection, coping or organization. But a strong emotional bond with AI, when not paired with clear goals or useful tasks, was more often linked to risks, especially in companionship and repeated reassurance-seeking. In those cases, users more often described dependence, worsening symptoms, shame and guilt, and increased emotional reliance on the systems. "Our findings suggest that AI tools should not just be designed to feel warm or human-like," said Elham Aghakhani, the study's lead author and a doctoral student the College. "They need clear boundaries and safeguards, especially in use cases involving companionship or repeated reassurance-seeking, where users more often described dependence, worsening symptoms or difficulty disengaging." Taken together, these results suggest that well-designed AI programs for mental health should be optimized for supportive interactions with clear boundaries, rather than for emotional bonding or companionship, according to the researchers. "While our findings suggest that many users approach these systems with a degree of caution, it remains critical that AI tools designed for mental health support are grounded in established, evidence-based frameworks," Rezapour said. "As these technologies become more widely adopted, it is increasingly important for users to understand both their potential benefits and their limitations." Key Questions Answered: Editorial Notes: * This article was edited by a Neuroscience News editor. * Journal paper reviewed in full. * Additional context added by our staff. About this AI and psychology research news Author: Britt Faulstick Source: Drexel University Contact: Britt Faulstick - Drexel University Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News Original Research: The findings will be presented at the 2026 Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics