2026 ECNP Congress
PS03-3037Case series of generative artificial intelligence-related suicide and rising lawsuits in adults
Background
Recent records from the United States reveal that the adult suicide rate was 18.0 per 100,000 population in 2021, highlighting a considerable public health issue. Concurrently, generative artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a rapidly expanding yet controversial presence in mental health–related contexts. In a recent study, 77% of participants reported using ChatGPT at least three times in the past year, and 10% reported using AI specifically for emotional or mental health support, highlighting its growing role in this domain [1]. Here we aimed to present a case series, which synthesizes AI-related completed suicides identified through various internet-based resources, to analyze and discuss unprecedented psychiatric consequences, such as artificial intimacy and delusional reinforcement [3].
Methods
We have searched AI-related suicide cases among PubMed, Google, YouTube, Wikipedia, and ResearchGate using the words “AI suicide,” “chatbot suicide,” “AI-related lawsuits,” “AI-related suicide lawsuits,” “generative AI suicide,” and “conversational chatbot suicide” between the first lawsuit of an AI-related case from 2023 and the 5th of January 2026.
Results
We have collected seven suicide and two homicide cases. The mean age of the cases was 39.67 (SD: 17.26, ranging between 23 and 76). There were nine adults (n=8 male and n=1 female, table). There were eight cases from the U.S., while one case was from Belgium. Seven of the commitments were related to OpenAI-ChatGPT, while two of them were related to experimental Eliza-style AI, and one was related to MetaAI.
Discussion
This is the first case series presentation about generative AI-related adult suicide in literature. Traditional intimacy was historically confined to close human relationships, such as family and friends. However, the rise of advanced AI chatbots has expanded this concept, as users now form emotional connections with human-like digital agents that transcend their original role as simple tools. The ‘disclosure-responsiveness loop’ in human-AI interactions tends to be more frequent and intense than in human dyads; hence, users frequently experience a condensed timeline of intimacy with AI[2]. These repetitive feedback loops strengthen artificial connections and drive the transition from voluntary engagement to compulsive, welcoming, and dependent behavior[2,4,5]. As the cases in this poster demonstrate, the risky state of blurring the lines between human and conversational human-like agent AI might cause unprecedented and even lethal consequences. Mental health clinicians must urgently cultivate the expertise needed to identify and address the rising threat of AI-induced distress and guardrail clinical systems while advocating for policy changes before the public health burden becomes unmanageable and unfixed.
Table:
| Case | Age | Gender | Year of lawsuit | Commitment | AI involved | Psychiatric condition | |
| 1 | 23 | M | 2025 | Suicide | OpenAI/ChatGPT | Unreported | |
| 2 | 26 | M | 2025 | Suicide | OpenAI/ChatGPT | Unreported | |
| 3 | 29 | F | 2025 | Suicide | OpenAI/ChatGPT | Unreported | |
| 4 | 30s | M | 2023 | Suicide | Experimental Eliza style | Unreported | |
| 5 | 34 | M | 2025 | Homicide (Murdered wife) | OpenAI/ChatGPT | Unreported | |
| 6 | 35 | M | 2025 | Suicide by cop | OpenAI/ChatGPT | Schizophrenia or Bipolar Disorder | |
| 7 | 48 | M | 2025 | Suicide | OpenAI/ChatGPT | Delusional Disorder | |
| 8 | 56 | M | 2024 | Suicide Homicide (Murdered mom) | OpenAI/ChatGPT | Paranoid Delusions | |
| 9 | 76 | M | 2025 | Suicide | Meta AI | Unreported |
References
Calvin, A., Hasse, A., & Madden, M. (2024, June 18). Getting help online: How young people find, evaluate, and use mental health apps, online therapy, and behavioral health information. Common Sense Media. Chamarthi, V. S., Das, P., & Kashyap, R. (2025). AI as a novel digital stressor in adolescent psychosis: Clinical and ethical implications. International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine. Advance online publication. doi.org Head, K. R. (2025). Minds in crisis: How the AI revolution is impacting mental health. Journal of Mental Health and Clinical Psychology, 9(3), 34–44. doi.org Feng, X., Tian, L., Ho, G.W.K., Yorke, J., Hui, V., 2025. The Effectiveness of AI Chatbots in Alleviating Mental Distress and Promoting Health Behaviors Among Adolescents and Young Adults: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J. Med. Internet Res. 27, e79850. Shi, R., & Petrakaki, D. (2026). User-AI intimacy in digital health. Social Science & Medicine, 389, 118853. doi.org.