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Study reveals how individuals with depression use ChatGPT for informal support

By PulseAugur Editorial · [1 sources] ·

A new study analyzed 187,093 ChatGPT conversations from 766 participants to understand how individuals with depressive symptoms use the AI. The research found that participants with higher depression scores (PHQ-8 of 10 or more) used ChatGPT more frequently for conversations related to mental health, interpersonal issues, loneliness, and self-focused topics. These users also exhibited distinct usage patterns, including more late-night interactions and recurring monthly engagement, along with a greater use of first-person singular pronouns and absolutist language. While the study suggests ChatGPT is increasingly used as an informal support infrastructure, the predictive accuracy for screening depression based on language alone was modest. AI

IMPACT Reveals how LLMs are being adopted as informal mental health support, highlighting potential for new user interfaces and support infrastructure.

RANK_REASON Academic paper detailing a study on LLM usage patterns. [lever_c_demoted from research: ic=1 ai=1.0]

Read on arXiv cs.AI →

AI-generated summary · Google Gemini · from 1 sources. How we write summaries →

Study reveals how individuals with depression use ChatGPT for informal support

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Academic paper detailing a study on LLM usage patterns. [lever_c_demoted from research: ic=1 ai=1.0]
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COVERAGE [1]

  1. arXiv cs.AI TIER_1 English(EN) · Neil K. R. Sehgal, Dunigan Folk, Lyle Ungar, Sharath Chandra Guntuku ·

    Depression Symptoms and Relational Patterns in 187k ChatGPT Histories

    arXiv:2607.05685v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: Large language models are increasingly used as private, always-available conversational systems, but little is known about how people with depressive symptoms use them. Building on CSCW work on disclosure and peer support, we exam…

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