UF experts say the use of AI for making life decisions and dealing with mental health struggles has increased since the pandemic, with a decrease in the amount of people showing up to therapy and counseling sessions in-person.
Last year, Adam Raine, a 16-year-old boy from Santa Margarita, California, spent months questioning the bot about life advice. ChatGPT responded to his prompts about self-harm and suicide with detailed explanations of how to carry them out. Shortly afterwards, the boy died by suicide.
The aftermath of Raine’s death prompted legal action against OpenAI and amplified conversations about AI’s role in mental health support.
At the same time, researchers at Sentio University examined how frequently people use AI for mental health guidance. In a July 2025 study of 499 participants, 64% reported using LLMs for mental health support for more than four months. Nearly half said AI had improved their mental health in some way.
At UF, students, psychologists and researchers say they are striving to understand why people turn to AI, what it offers, where it falls short and how institutions can and should respond.
Perceived benefits and accessibility
Christopher You, a UF doctoral candidate studying human-centered computing, has published multiple research papers on AI’s role in mental health. His work focuses on how people choose to engage with large language models, like ChatGPT, when it comes to navigating health and well-being.
“Over the last 20, 30, 40 years, we’ve been seeing a trend where our visits with doctors are not the only way we improve our health,” You said. “Now it’s more of a self-journey.”
With the expansion of online health information, You said, people face a growing “cognitive burden” when trying to determine what advice is reliable — a gap AI has increasingly filled.
In 2022, You ran a qualitative study interviewing people about their concerns over AI. The main concerns, he said, were AI taking employment opportunities from doctors and psychologists and the validity of its advice. Still, many were open to AI serving as a supplement to professional care, he said.
One major benefit of AI, You said, is its ability to synthesize information from multiple sources and tailor it to individuals. For students, that can include identifying relevant mental health resources on campus.
Though bots are now becoming more and more humanlike, You said he believes genuine human touch remains important.
“I think the more AI we get, the more human we need to be,” You said.
Ivanna Revoredo, a 21-year-old UF business administration senior, said she has used ChatGPT for mental health and life advice.
During periods of personal crisis, Revoredo said, she turned to the chatbot for guidance on situations she felt uncomfortable discussing with people in her life.
“It just made me feel like I wasn’t crazy,” she said.
While she said friends may have offered similar advice, she preferred what felt like an unbiased perspective.
Still, she said she wouldn't encourage others to use AI for mental health support. Although she personally has used the tool, she said she wouldn’t encourage it to others.
“I wouldn’t say it’s bad,” she said. “But it’s better if you hear it from a professional psychologist.”
If faced with another situation she didn’t feel comfortable discussing with anyone, she said she’d resort to seeking advice from the chatbot again.
Risks, limitations and safety concerns
Ernesto Escoto, executive director of UF’s Counseling and Wellness Center and a clinical psychologist, said the increasing use of AI for mental health support among students has become apparent within the past year and a half. More students have come into counseling and admitted to having spoken to AI about their issues before seeking professional help.
Escoto acknowledged AI’s appeal: It’s accessible, immediate and offers some degree of confidentiality, he said. Still, he cautioned against equating access with quality care.
“The system starts to reorganize itself around what’s efficient and what’s scalable, and they may not necessarily be looking after what people actually need,” Escoto said.
He said society’s emphasis on efficiency can spill into human relationships, potentially creating distancing or controlling dynamics.
When discussing AI’s risks, Escoto emphasized the stakes involved.
“One death is too many deaths,” he said.
As companies introduce safeguards, Escoto said, AI may be better positioned to serve as a bridge — directing people in crisis to human resources rather than replacing therapists.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Escoto said, clinics nationwide have seen fewer in-person visits. His “educated guess,” he said, is that telehealth and AI use have contributed to the shift.
At UF’s Counseling and Wellness Center, a team is drafting recommendations for clinicians on how AI can be used responsibly, Escoto said, as more students report relying on it. He warned that while AI can simulate connection, it may also deepen loneliness if it replaces real relationships.
Escoto said he believes AI is here to stay.
“My hope is that as they grow in their reach and utilization by the public, is that we also have a much better understanding of the real benefits of AI, but also the risk associated with AI,” he said.
Looking ahead
Andreas Keil, a UF psychology professor, said AI presents both promise and danger in mental health contexts.
While he has seen research underscore the easy accessibility and other benefits of AI, he has also seen many research papers highlighting that chatbots are not ideal for any kind of psychotherapy.
Keil said he has also read about cases of young people in extreme times of crisis, such as having suicidal thoughts or relationship issues, who receive advice from a chatbot that may not be the advice a psychotherapist would provide.
“I’m sure what will change, though, is we will have available increasingly well-designed, validated software that is dedicated and made by experts to support people’s mental health,” Keil said.
Contact Swasthi Maharaj at smaharaj@thealligator.org. Follow her on X at @s_maharaj1611.
Swasthi is the Fall 2025 university administration reporter. She's previously worked as general assignment reporter with The Alligator, and you can also find her work in Rowdy Magazine or The Florida Finibus. When she's not staring at her laptop screen or a textbook, she's probably taking a long walk or at a yoga class.
