I thought I could fly: How AI triggered my psychotic breakdown - Newsweek

Mental health professionals are warning about “AI psychosis,” where interactions with intelligent systems trigger delusional thinking. For one user with bipolar disorder, the rise of hyper-realistic AI images led to a frightening manic episode.

What happened

Caitlin Ner, working at an AI image generation startup, spent hours daily prompting generative systems. Initially, AI felt like magic, allowing her to visualize herself in fantastical scenarios. However, the constant exposure to idealized AI images distorted her body perception, leading to an obsession with achieving an unrealistic ideal. The process became addictive, with each new image providing a dopamine rush. This spiraled into a manic bipolar episode, blurring reality and triggering auditory hallucinations. After seeing an AI image of herself on a flying horse, she developed the delusion that she could fly, almost leading her to jump from her balcony. Following this episode, she left the AI startup and sought intensive therapy to recover, establishing a more balanced relationship with technology and recognizing the experience as a form of digital addiction.