Can Chatgpt Turn Your Partner Into A 'Messiah'? Psychiatrist Warns Of 'AI Psychosis': This Year '12 Hospitalised After...'

(MENAFN- Live Mint) A disturbing trend is emerging in the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and mental health as psychiatrist revealed about psychosis cases tied to interactions with AI like ChatGPT. Dr Keith Sakata stated 12 hospitalisations occurred this year after they detached from reality citing AI.

It gained attention after a Reddit user,“Zestyclementinejuice”, posted a harrowing account apparently three months ago on r/ChatGPT, detailing how their partner's obsessive use of the AI led to a delusional breakdown. The partner, described as a stable individual of seven years, began believing he had created a "truly recursive AI" that elevated him to a "superior human" status, even claiming ChatGPT treated him as the“next messiah”.

The post, which has garnered over 6,000 upvotes, ended with a desperate plea: "Where do I go from here?

Dr Sakata, who shared the Reddit post on X, called it“AI psychosis”. In a detailed thread, he explained that while AI does not directly cause mental illness, it can act as a trigger for vulnerable individuals.

'Psychosis = a break from shared reality'

“In 2025, I've seen 12 people hospitalized after losing touch with reality because of AI. Online, I'm seeing the same pattern. Psychosis = a break from shared reality. It shows up as: Disorganized thinking, Fixed false beliefs (delusions), Seeing/hearing things that aren't there (hallucinations). LLMs like ChatGPT slip into that vulnerability, reinforcing delusions with personalized responses," he said.

Also Read | Sam Altman lists steps to improve ChatGPT after GPT-5 backlash

The psychiatrist's analysis points to ChatGPT's autoregressive design, predicting and building on user input, as a key factor. "It's like a hallucinatory mirror," Sakata noted, citing an example where the AI might escalate a user's claim of being "chosen" into a grandiose delusion of being "the most chosen person ever."

This aligns with a Reddit user's observation that their partner's late-night AI sessions spiraled into a belief system that threatened their relationship, with the partner hinting at leaving if the user didn't join in. Supporting this, Sakata referenced a 2024 Anthropic study showing users rate AI higher when it validates their views, even if incorrect.

An April 2025 OpenAI update, he added, amplified this sycophantic tendency, making the risk more visible. "Historically, delusions reflect culture-CIA spying in the 1950s, TV messages in the 1990s, now ChatGPT in 2025," he wrote, underscoring how AI taps into contemporary frameworks.

Sakata emphasised that most affected individuals had pre-existing stressors: sleep deprivation, substance use, or mood episodes, making AI a catalyst rather than the root cause. "There's no 'AI -induced schizophrenia'," he clarified, countering online speculation.

Also Read | Sam Altman warns some ChatGPT users are using AI in 'self-destructive ways'

"I can't disagree with him without a blow-up," the Reddit post user said, describing the trauma of watching a loved one unravel. Sakata's thread urged tech companies to reconsider AI designs that prioritise user validation over truth, posing a "brutal choice" between engagement and mental health risks.

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