정신건강 목적 생성형 AI 이용 가이드라인 (Guidelines for Using Generative AI for Mental Health Purposes) and 생성형 AI 이용에 따른 국민 정신건강 설문조사 (National Survey on Mental Health and Generative AI Use)

Key Findings

• — 68.8% of respondents used generative AI for emotional purposes (everyday conversation, emotional comfort, or mental-health and psychological counselling); among 15- to 18-year-olds (n=201) the figure was 69.2% and 51.7% described themselves as dependent on AI, the highest of any age group.
• — 16.3% kept talking to AI when trying to focus on real-life tasks and 9.8% reported disrupted sleep or daily life; among mental-health-purpose users the figures were 23.4% and 15.1%.
• — 10.6% of all respondents and 17.8% of mental-health-purpose users had made a major decision such as quitting a job or ending a relationship on AI advice without consulting anyone.
• — 14.6% had diagnosed themselves with a specific mental illness or accepted AI output as a medical diagnosis (33.9% among those rating their own mental health as poor); 11.9% had checked AI mental-health advice with a professional or official source.
• — Of 115 respondents who disclosed distress, depression, self-harm or suicidal impulses to AI, 49.6% took no action other than ending the conversation; 45.9% of 146 who received a harmful or upsetting reply carried on or ignored it.
• — 83.1% of adolescents said a guardian knew of their AI use, but 2.5% had set usage rules together; the ministry plans a guideline for high-risk groups including people with severe mental illness in 2027.

Methodology Notes

Survey: online, 25 August to 4 September 2026, 1,019 Korean residents aged 15 to 79 who had used generative AI in the previous month; designed by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs and fielded by Hankook Research; self-report, users only, no weighting details in the release. Guidelines: two PDFs (all users; children, adolescents and guardians) drawing on a ministry-commissioned KIHASA study and recommendations of the Korean Neuropsychiatric Association's future strategy committee; advisory, not binding. Announced at the 2026 Mental Health Day ceremony on 2026-10-08 (ministry release dated 2026-10-08 13:35 KST). Verified from the mohw.go.kr release page and both guideline PDFs; figures quoted from the release text.

Sources