According to doctors at the University of Washington, this unique case of psychosis was caused by poisoning, as reported by Gizmodo.
A 60-year-old man was admitted to the emergency department with complaints of suspected poisoning by a neighbor. He exhibited symptoms of paranoia, visual and auditory hallucinations, and worsening confusion. His condition quickly deteriorated: he refused water, attempted to escape the hospital, and eventually experienced a full psychotic episode.
When the patient was finally able to speak coherently, he revealed that he had started taking sodium bromide three months earlier, on the advice of ChatGPT. A former student of nutrition, he believed that chloride, as in sodium chloride (salt), was harmful and sought an alternative.
Upon researching the issue, he asked ChatGPT what could safely replace chloride. The AI suggested sodium bromide, among other options, prompting the man to start consuming it after he had purchased it online.
The man was treated with antipsychotic medication, which normalized his condition. He was discharged after three weeks, and during a follow-up appointment two weeks later, he was confirmed to be stable.
Doctors suspect he was using either ChatGPT 3.5 or 4.0, based on the timeline. Although they didn’t have access to the man’s original chat logs, they posed the same question to ChatGPT 3.5, and it did list bromide as an option.
While the AI’s answer mentioned the importance of context, it did not warn about bromide’s toxicity or clarify the intended use of the information.
The doctors emphasized that while tools like ChatGPT can help users explore scientific information, they also carry the risk of spreading misleading advice out of context. A cool story to start the week, right?
Previously, we reported that the number of entry-level jobs reportedly decreased by a third between November 2022 and May 2025, following the launch of ChatGPT. Retail, IT, and accounting and finance experienced the most significant drop.
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