![\"Smartphone](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/photo-illustration-person-holds-smartphone-109391296.jpg\")
After reading about the adverse effects of sodium chloride, or table salt, on overall health, the man consulted ChatGPT and was told that chloride can be swapped with bromide. Getty Images<\/p>\nConsulting AI for medical advice can have deadly consequences. <\/p>\n
A 60-year-old man was hospitalized with severe psychiatric symptoms \u2014 plus some physical ones too, including intense thirst and coordination issues \u2014 after asking ChatGPT for tips on how to improve his diet.<\/p>\n
What he thought was a healthy swap ended in a toxic reaction so severe that doctors put him on an involuntary psychiatric hold.<\/p>\n
After reading about the adverse effects of sodium chloride, or table salt, on overall health, the man consulted ChatGPT and was told that chloride can be swapped with bromide. Getty Images<\/p>\n
After reading about the adverse health effects of table salt \u2014 which has the chemical name sodium chloride \u2014 the unidentified man consulted ChatGPT and was told that it could be swapped with sodium bromide.<\/p>\n
Sodium bromide looks similar to table salt, but it\u2019s an entirely different compound. While it\u2019s occasionally used in medicine, it\u2019s most commonly used for industrial and cleaning purposes \u2014\u00a0which is what experts believe ChatGPT was referring to.<\/p>\n
Having studied nutrition in college, the man was inspired to conduct an experiment in which he eliminated sodium chloride from his diet and replaced it with sodium bromide he purchased online.<\/p>\n
He was admitted to the hospital after three months of the diet swap, amid concerns that his neighbor was poisoning him.<\/p>\n
The patient told doctors that he distilled his own water and adhered to multiple dietary restrictions. He complained of thirst but was suspicious when water was offered to him.<\/p>\n
Though he had no previous psychiatric history, after 24 hours of hospitalization, he became increasingly paranoid and reported both auditory and visual hallucinations. <\/p>\n
He was treated with fluids, electrolytes and antipsychotics and \u2014 after attempting escape \u2014 was eventually admitted to the hospital\u2019s inpatient psychiatry unit.<\/p>\n
Publishing the case study last week in the journal\u00a0Annals of Internal Medicine Clinical Cases<\/a>, the authors explained that the man was suffering from bromism, a toxic syndrome triggered by overexposure to the chemical compound bromide or its close cousin bromine.<\/p>\n When his condition improved, he was able to report other symptoms like acne, cherry angiomas, fatigue, insomnia, ataxia (a neurological condition that causes a lack of muscle coordination) and polydipsia (extreme thirst), all of which are in keeping with bromide toxicity.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is important to consider that ChatGPT and other AI systems can generate scientific inaccuracies, lack the ability to critically discuss results, and ultimately fuel the spread of misinformation,\u201d study authors warned. <\/p>\n OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, states in its terms of use that the AI is \u201cnot intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of any health condition\u201d \u2014 but that doesn\u2019t seem to be deterring Americans on the hunt for accessible health care.<\/p>\n According to a 2025 survey<\/a>, a little more than a third (35%) of Americans\u00a0already use AI to learn about and manage aspects of their health<\/a>\u00a0and wellness.<\/p>\n Though relatively new, trust in AI is fairly high, with 63%\u00a0finding it trustworthy for health information<\/a>\u00a0and guidance \u2014 scoring higher in this area than social media (43%) and influencers (41%), but lower than doctors (93%) and even friends (82%).<\/p>\n Americans also find that it\u2019s easier to ask AI specific questions versus going to a search engine (31%) and that it\u2019s more accessible than speaking to a health professional (27%).<\/p>\n![\"Doctor](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/unrecognizable-female-doctor-examining-senior-109469812.jpg\")
The man was suffering from bromism, a toxic syndrome triggered by overexposure to the chemical compound bromide or its close cousin bromine. Halfpoint \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n