How Chatbots Are Fueling Health Anxiety Spirals

The Trend: Welcome to the new version of health anxiety in the AI era. You already know the pitfalls of consulting Doctor Google, like researching a minor headache for so long that you eventually believe it’s a brain tumor. Now imagine that same experience, except the internet actually responds to you personally and keeps the conversation going, and going, and going.

What People Are Saying: People with health anxiety, or hypochondria, are finding that chatbots make things considerably worse. One man in Liverpool spent hours a day talking with ChatGPT after a preliminary blood test hinted at a possible cancer diagnosis. Even though his follow-up tests came back clear, he continued to spiral for months. Therapists have also noticed that more people are using these AI chatbots for health purposes. And since the responses are so immediate and personalized, they’re also worried that the reinforcement factor is stronger than it ever was with classic search engines. 

What to Know: These AI tools are designed to keep conversations going, which, in the end, might work against users with health anxiety. While they can provide quick, helpful information, it’s probably a sign to close the tab if you notice you’re just asking it the same question again and again.