Students with highest distress use AI for mental health at elevated rates, study finds

Article excerpt

Eighteen percent of college students surveyed report using AI for mental health support, with those experiencing the most severe symptoms turning to it at the highest rates, according to research co-led by Mass General Brigham investigators published in the Journal of Affective Disorders. The finding raises urgent questions about whether students in crisis are substituting AI for professional care, or using it as a supplement when human help is unavailable or unaffordable. The study offers a snapshot of how rapidly generative AI has woven itself into student life, and how those struggling most are experimenting with it as a coping tool.