# AI in Mental Health and Companionship

AI chatbots are used for therapy-adjacent support and companionship. This sub-article expands [Section 7 of Recent Topics](../recent.md) and [Human–AI Interaction](human-ai-interaction.md).

## Chatbots as Therapists
- Apps offer CBT-style exercises and crisis triage.
- Benefits: access, low cost, and reduced stigma.
- Risks: lack of clinical validation, liability, and crisis-handling failures.

## Companionship and Loneliness
- People form attachments to chatbots (e.g., Replika, Character.AI).
- Studies show both benefits and dependency risks.

## Safety and Ethics
- Misrepresentation as licensed clinicians is a concern.
- Data privacy and consent are critical.
- Some regulators restrict medical claims.

## Why It Matters
Mental-health AI touches vulnerable users; evidence and oversight are essential.

## Sources
- WHO. *AI and mental health guidance.*
- Studies on chatbot attachment (e.g., 2024).

*Back to [Recent Topics](../recent.md).*