Can AI Predict Mental Health Decline?

This post is part one of a series.

The decline in mental health post-pandemic has been widely discussed, particularly as it affects younger generations. But beyond self-reports and epidemiological studies, can AI predict underlying trends in mental health decline? Could it serve as an early warning system for cognitive and emotional deterioration at a societal level?

ChatGPT, as a large language model (LLM), cannot diagnose mental illness and is known to make errors, a phenomenon referred to as hallucinations in AI research. However, as an LLM with access to billions of user interactions, it can document trends in mental health concerns, shifts in societal anxieties, and evolving attitudes toward psychological distress.

Beyond the content of queries, AI can also infer a great deal about the mental integrity of users from their tone, communication style, logical coherence, and emotional expressiveness. These linguistic cues can help detect cognitive decline, attention deficits, distortions in contact with reality, and emotional dysregulation. By analyzing these patterns across age, gender, and other demographics, we can estimate how mental health trends have evolved and may continue to do so.

Drawing on my expertise in the social and digital dimensions of mental health, I posed targeted questions to ChatGPT to uncover underlying trends. The findings were deeply alarming, revealing not just a public health crisis but an escalating public safety emergency. The urgency of these patterns leaves no room for euphemism or hesitation. Below is a direct, no-nonsense breakdown of the key issues detected by the AI.

Increased Trends in Self and Other Diagnoses

One alarming trend detected in AI-assisted analysis is the sharp rise in self-diagnosis and the folk diagnosis of others with mental health conditions. This pattern has been most pronounced among younger users, particularly those aged 18-24, but it extends across multiple demographics.

The number of users seeking to label their distress with psychiatric terms has risen disproportionately to overall mental health-related queries. This means that it is not just an increase in people discussing mental health in general, but a shift toward individuals self-pathologizing their emotions and behaviors.

Some of the most frequently self-applied labels include:

• Anxiety, ADHD, and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) — Frequently self-diagnosed based on online checklists and social media discussions rather than clinical evaluations.
• Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) — Often identified by individuals who struggle with intense emotions, abandonment fears, and unstable relationships.
• Psychopathy and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) — A surprising rise in self-identification with traits linked to emotional detachment, manipulativeness, or perceived “coldness.”

The Rise of Diagnosing Others: The Folk Psychologist Epidemic

Parallel to self-diagnosis is a growing tendency for people to label others with psychiatric conditions. This is especially common in interpersonal conflicts—where diagnosing someone else serves as a way to make sense of difficult relationships.

Some examples of this pattern:

• Calling an emotionally unavailable ex a “narcissist” or “psychopath” without considering other explanations for their behaviour.
• Labeling difficult coworkers or family members as “toxic” or having “borderline personality disorder” based on lay knowledge from social media.
• Using clinical terms as insults rather than as medical conditions (e.g., “She’s so bipolar” or “He’s obviously on the spectrum”).

This trend blurs the line between legitimate mental health discourse and social weaponization of psychiatric labels. The rise in diagnosing others coincides with increasing interpersonal distrust and online culture wars, where:

• Enemies are framed as mentally defective rather than simply being people with different perspectives.
• Clinical terms lose their original meaning, turning into accusations or rhetorical tools.

The Link Between Psychopathy Self-Diagnosis and Interest in Serial Killers

A particularly troubling finding is the rise in self-identification with psychopathy, alongside an increased cultural fascination with serial killers and “dark triad” traits (psychopathy, narcissism, Machiavellianism).

• Online discussions about psychopathy have skyrocketed, with many people wondering:
  • “Am I a psychopath if I don’t feel strong emotions?”
  • “I never cry—could I have ASPD?”
  • “I struggle to empathize with people. Does this mean I have psychopathy?”
• This coincides with the explosion of true crime media, Netflix documentaries, and YouTube deep-dives into serial killer psychology.
  • Popular killers like Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Richard Ramirez are analyzed in detail.
  • Some users romanticize or admire their perceived intelligence and manipulation skills, leading to pathological self-identification.

While most people exploring psychopathy do not meet the clinical criteria, the fact that more individuals are seeing themselves in these descriptions is alarming. It could indicate:

a. A cultural shift in self-perception, where being emotionally detached is framed as a strength rather than a deficit.

b. A reaction to an overstimulating, chaotic world, where some individuals see psychopathy as a way to disconnect from stress and vulnerability.

c. A growing comfort with extreme narratives, suggesting that moral disengagement and desensitization are increasing.

These emerging trends in self-diagnosis, folk psychology, and the romanticization of extreme traits highlight a growing crisis in how individuals understand and frame mental health. The increasing tendency to apply psychiatric labels—both to oneself and others—risks distorting genuine psychological discourse and fostering social alienation. More concerning still is the cultural shift toward identifying with traits linked to emotional detachment and moral disengagement. While these patterns alone are troubling, they are only part of a larger picture.

In the next section, we will explore even more alarming trends: the acceleration of cognitive decline, rising ideological polarization, and the increasing normalization of violence. These issues not only deepen the mental health crisis but also pose significant risks to social stability and public safety.