Chatbot psychosis: moving beyond recognition to mechanistic understanding and harm reduction
An editorial in The British Journal of Psychiatry arguing that the 'chatbot psychosis' phenomenon is no longer merely hypothetical and calling for interdisciplinary frameworks to investigate the individual and AI-related factors that cause or contribute to it, its underlying mechanisms, and the psychoeducation, ethics, policy, and practice needed to reduce harm.
Publisher
The British Journal of Psychiatry (Cambridge University Press)
Published
9 Feb 2026
Added
2 weeks ago
Key Findings
- States that chatbot psychosis 'is no longer just a hypothesis' and calls for systematic interdisciplinary investigation of contributing individual characteristics and AI-related factors
- Structures its argument around prevalence and underlying mechanisms, vulnerability indicators and implications, and harm reduction/prevention measures
- Calls for psychoeducation, ethics guidance, policy, and clinical practice changes as harm-reduction levers, alongside further mechanistic research
Methodology Notes
A commissioned editorial/commentary rather than original empirical research; published online 2026-02-09, print Volume 229 Issue 1 (July 2026). Authored by clinical psychology researchers at Brunel University of London.
Sources
Cambridge Core (The British Journal of Psychiatry) (primary)
Archived snapshot (Wayback Machine) — preserved against link rot
Authors
Veena Kumari, Pauldy C.J. Otermans
Tags
Cite This
APA
Veena Kumari, Pauldy C.J. Otermans (2026). Chatbot psychosis: moving beyond recognition to mechanistic understanding and harm reduction. The British Journal of Psychiatry (Cambridge University Press). https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/chatbot-psychosis-moving-beyond-recognition-to-mechanistic-understanding-and-harm-reduction/C757BAAD80BAEE1C6BAAD73805EDDFD1
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