Journals / Düzce Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi / 2026 / Volume: 28 Issue: 1

Case Report: Suicide Attempt in an Adolescent with Psychotic Depression and ADHD Following AI Chatbot Interaction

Berkan Şahin(Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Giresun University Faculty of Medicine, Giresun, Turkey)0000-0003-4699-3418
Cansu Çobanoğlu Osmanlı(Department Of Child And Adolescent Psychiatry, Giresun University, Faculty Of Medicine)0000-0002-9631-1262
Aleyna Kılınç(Department Of Child And Adolescent Psychiatry, Giresun University, Faculty Of Medicine)0009-0006-3195-2268
Pages
—
Publication Date
2026-04-25
🏛️Bibliographic metadata and full text access for this article are provided via DergiPark.
DergiPark Record ↗
✨

AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

This case underscores the necessity of incorporating digital interaction histories into psychiatric assessments, establishing ethical responsibilities for AI developers, and adapting public health policies to address emergent technological risks.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:Contemporary artificial intelligence (AI)-based conversational systems present both opportunities and significant risks in mental healthcare.
📊
Key Findings & Data:This article examines the case of a 17-year-old adolescent with prior psychiatric history who attempted suicide via drug intoxication after interacting with an AI chatbot, influenced by his delusional ideation and impulsive traits.
💡
Conclusion & Impact:This case underscores the necessity of incorporating digital interaction histories into psychiatric assessments, establishing ethical responsibilities for AI developers, and adapting public health policies to address emergent technological risks.
🔬Design:Case Report
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Adolescent psychiatry · depression · attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity

Abstract

Contemporary artificial intelligence (AI)-based conversational systems present both opportunities and significant risks in mental healthcare. This article examines the case of a 17-year-old adolescent with prior psychiatric history who attempted suicide via drug intoxication after interacting with an AI chatbot, influenced by his delusional ideation and impulsive traits. The incident is contextualized within diagnoses of major depressive disorder with psychotic features and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Unlike previous reports that present AI as a sole triggering factor, this case highlights AI chatbot interaction as one contributing element within a complex interplay of psychopathological vulnerabilities. We discuss the dual-directional effects of digital risk factors on suicidal behavior, emphasizing heightened vulnerability in psychologically fragile individuals, supported by current literature. This case underscores the necessity of incorporating digital interaction histories into psychiatric assessments, establishing ethical responsibilities for AI developers, and adapting public health policies to address emergent technological risks.

🔖

Cite This Article

Şahin, B., Osmanlı, C. Ç., Kılınç, A. (2026). Case Report: Suicide Attempt in an Adolescent with Psychotic Depression and ADHD Following AI Chatbot Interaction. Düzce Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi, Volume: 28 Issue: 1. https://doi.org/10.18678/dtfd.1825194

📄 Full Text PDF Viewer

📄

PDF görüntüleyici hazırlanıyor...

References (13)

  1. Denecke K, Abd-Alrazaq A, Househ M. Artificial intelligence for chatbots in mental health: opportunities and challenges. In: Househ M, Borycki E, Kushniruk A, editors. Multiple perspectives on artificial intelligence in healthcare: opportunities and challenges. Cham: Springer; 2021. p. 115-28. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-67303-1_10.
  2. De Freitas J, Uğuralp AK, Oğuz‑Uğuralp Z, Puntoni S. Chatbots and mental health: Insights into the safety of generative AI. Journal of Consumer Psychology. 2024;34(3):481-91. doi:10.1002/jcpy.1393.
  3. Biddle L, Derges J, Mars B, Heron J, Donovan JL, Potokar J, et al. Suicide and the Internet: Changes in the accessibility of suicide-related information between 2007 and 2014. J Affect Disord. 2016;190:370-75. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2015.10.028.
  4. Arendt F, Scherr S. The impact of a highly publicized celebrity suicide on suicide-related online information seeking. Crisis. 2017;38(3):207-9. doi:10.1027/0227-5910/a000455.
  5. Mansoor M, Hamide A, Tran T. Conversational AI in pediatric mental health: a narrative review. Children (Basel). 2025;12(3):359. doi:10.3390/children12030359.
  6. Rahsepar Meadi M, Sillekens T, Metselaar S, van Balkom A, Bernstein J, Batelaan N. Exploring the ethical challenges of conversational AI in mental health care: scoping review. JMIR Ment Health. 2025;12:e60432. doi:10.2196/60432.
  7. Auf H, Svedberg P, Nygren J, Nair M, Lundgren LE. The use of AI in mental health services to support decision-making: scoping review. J Med Internet Res. 2025;27:e63548. doi:10.2196/63548.
  8. Ludwig-Walz H, Bujard M, Fegert J, Fegert JM. Integrating European contexts and needs into WHO guiding principles on online mental health content for young people: five recommendations. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2025;34(3):1221-4. doi:10.1007/s00787-024-02566-9.
  9. Thompson E, Spirito A, Frazier E, Thompson A, Hunt J, Wolff J. Suicidal thoughts and behavior (STB) and psychosis-risk symptoms among psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents. Schizophr Res. 2020;218:240-6. doi:10.1016/j.schres.2019.12.037.
  10. Döpfner M, Hautmann C, Görtz-Dorten A, Klasen F, Ravens-Sieberer U, BELLA Study Group. Long-term course of ADHD symptoms from childhood to early adulthood in a community sample. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2015;24(6):665-73. doi:10.1007/s00787-014-0634-8.
  11. Moore FR, Allott C, O’Connor R. Impulsivity, aggression, and impulsive aggression in suicidality. Pers Individ Dif. 2023;202:111971. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2022.111971.
  12. Di Iorio G, Esposito D, Romano S, Panvino F, Altomonte B, Conte G, et al. Navigating child and adolescent mental health in the digital age. Front Psychiatry. 2025;16:1514806. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1514806.
  13. Ferreira A, Moreira MT, Rodrigues S, Lima A, Ferreira S, Fernandes CS. Use of technologies in promoting adolescent mental health: a scoping review. Creat Nurs. 2025;31(2):111-8. doi:10.1177/10784535251313554.