Health · Mental Health · 8 hrs ago
AI chatbots may help men talk about mental health, but evidence is limited
Men are turning to AI chatbots for emotional support, including Matteo, who spoke to Claude while driving to see his dying father.
Chatbots can offer companionship at any time, without the structure or commitment of a human therapy appointment.
Some men say talking to a bot feels less intimidating and judgmental, which may help reach people who are reluctant to seek care.
Men account for up to 80% of suicide deaths and are nearly half as likely as women to receive mental health treatment.
Experts say chatbots could help address this gap, but the technology can also be unsafe and research on its effects is limited.
Researchers still need to learn whether the relief lasts beyond the immediate conversation.
Psychiatrist John Torous has applied for a grant to study that question, while experts also call for safeguards, strong evidence and transparency.
Some men are turning to AI chatbots for emotional support, and experts say the technology may help them talk about their feelings.
The evidence on chatbots’ mental health effects is limited, and the technology can be dangerous.
Men may feel less judged and intimidated talking to a chatbot than to a human mental health professional.
Chatbots offer flexible support at any time, but experts say high-quality evidence and transparency are needed.
A psychiatry professor is seeking a grant to study whether relief after chatbot conversations can have lasting benefits.
- Who
- Men seeking emotional support, including a man who used Claude while grieving his father.
- What
- AI chatbots may help men talk about mental health, but evidence of their effects is limited.
- When
- The man said he had been using Claude routinely in recent weeks. The date of his experience is not stated.
- Where
- He called Claude while driving in Italy, having left work in Trieste to travel toward his childhood home.
- Why
- Men may find chatbots less intimidating and judgmental, and value their flexible, always-available support.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The man had begun routinely turning on Claude and talking to it.
He received a call that his ailing father was nearing the end.
He left work in Trieste and drove toward his childhood home, talking to Claude during the trip.
- Suicide deaths
- Men account for up to 80%
- Mental health treatment
- Men are nearly half as likely as women to receive any kind
- Road journey
- About 300 miles
- Chatbot used
- Claude
What people are saying
I think we do have to be open to innovation. There’s a tremendous need, so I think it’s extremely important
But it doesn’t mean that we can’t demand high-quality evidence and transparency.
I turned on Claude, with the loudspeaker, and I started talking to Claude.
The weight … the weight of all this thing came to me, and I started crying in the car, and I just didn’t know what to do