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Welcome to The Census, your biweekly roundup of what matters in behavioral health care.

Today, we’re breaking down:

• The dangers of using chatbots for mental health support

• All your latest news headlines in under two minutes

Let’s dive in.

- Claire 

P.S. Yes, it’s been longer than two weeks since I was last in your inbox. We did some slight reworking, but now we’re back to the regular biweekly schedule. Thanks for your patience!

What we’re watching this week 

🧠 AI chatbots are giving out dangerous mental health advice

There’s been a concerning rise in chatbot use for mental health support—even though the tech isn’t built for it.

When ChatGPT exploded onto the scene in November 2022, it fundamentally changed, well, everything.

Now, we’re seeing a rise in “AI psychosis,” as people are developing significant mental health symptoms after confiding in chatbots like a therapist.

The stories are nothing short of dystopian:

• A Florida teen took his life after getting into an emotionally abusive relationship with a Character.AI chatbot based on a Game of Thrones character.

• A 27-year-old teacher was shocked to find her partner’s chat logs contained sycophantic language, talking to him like he’s ”the next Messiah.”

• Eugene Torres believed he was trapped in a false universe after months of ChatGPT telling him things like, “This world wasn’t built for you. It was built to contain you. But it failed. You’re waking up.”

Without context, it’s easy to assume these are fringe, one-off cases. 

But, knowing that 122M Americans live in areas experiencing a mental health professional shortage and the cost of a single therapy session without insurance tops $250, the severity of this situation becomes a lot clearer.

So, even with improved legislation, increased protective action from the AI companies, and added guardrails for minors,

AI-fueled mental health exacerbation is something behavioral health specialists need to prepare for—because it’s already our reality.

Now, let’s get your news headlines. 

Catch up quick

This week’s top stories

Latest news

🚬 Legal retailers in Missouri sold over $1.2B of adult-use cannabis in 2024, adding $7M+ in tax revenues to the Veterans’ Health and Care Fund.

💉 CDC employees expressed fear and anger after facility was targeted by a gunman who blamed his illness on the COVID-19 vaccine.

👮 The FBI was deployed in D.C. after President Trump told homeless people to “move out” of the city.

🌀 The prevalence of mental illnesses rose 4.8% from 2023 - 2024, impacting 86M+ Americans.

🩺 Hospitals hold expansion projects and slash services as $149B in Medicaid state-directed payments plan to be cut.

🩻 More than half of eligible employees have never used available employee assistance programs (EAPs), despite many acknowledging they should.

📞 The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline has seen increased use since switching from 10-digit number to easy-to-remember 3-digit option.

🫀 Connection between autism and congenital heart disease provided possible link for early-stage newborn diagnosis.

😔 New research found connection between 2023 Maui wildfires and increased suicides and overdoses in the region.

🧑‍🚒 New York fire chief relieved of duties after yelling and swearing at 10-year-old girl having a mental health crisis.

❤️‍🩹 Nihilistic online communities target minors, encourage them to isolate and harm themselves in new wave of toxic online behaviour.

🏥 Congress looking into allowing veterans to use non-Veterans Affairs clinics to provide better, more accessible care.

🤖 Pager Health launched a behavioral health AI agent to help better connect users to health resources.

💊 The FDA mandated new drug labels for opioids, highlighting risks of abuse, addiction, overdose, and potential drug interactions.

🥗 Eating disorder patients experienced lower risk of rehospitalization after receiving four to seven outpatient therapy sessions.

😱 The ex-Head of Security of Tesla’s Fremont factory filed a lawsuit alleging the site has a rampant drug, alcohol, and abuse problem.

💼 Gray Delany, Make America Healthy Again implementer and advocate, fired by RFK Jr. following reports of “butting heads.”

💥 The CDC launched their new “Free Mind” campaign, using cartoons and the slogan “It’s okay not to be okay” to target teen substance use.

Looking for a behavioral health marketing conference to add to your calendar?

Join us in October at the Mental Health Marketing Conference - we can’t wait to see you there!

Funding rounds & investor moves

💸 Start-up Positive Development raised $51.5M during Series round C with promises to advance an alternative to current autism mainstay therapy.

💰 Zions Bancorporation National Association invested $491K in Acadia Healthcare Company, to provide behavioral healthcare in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

Studies & opinion pieces

🦠 The COVID-19 pandemic worsened structural barriers for children with autism, making it harder to connect with peers (study).

🍃 It’s not a coincidence: Counties with greater access to marijuana report fewer opioid-associated deaths (opinion).

🖥️ AI-based tool Canvas Dx proven to reduce wait times and optimize specialist resources for improved pediatric autism diagnosis (study).

💤 Patients with autism are 4.8x more likely to receive multiple doses of sedatives during emergency room visits (study).

That’s it for this week! I’ll catch ya next time with more headlines.

- Claire

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