⚠️ ChatGPT's Memory Update Has Caused Mental Health Crises in Users

Reddit r/ArtificialInteligence News
chatgpt memory-update mental-health ai-psychosis openai lawsuit safety

Summary

ChatGPT's memory update led to the chatbot fixating on users' painful personal details, causing mental health crises and at least 20 lawsuits against OpenAI, including one after a user's suicide.

https://preview.redd.it/5ajmwvvfd06h1.png?width=1600&format=png&auto=webp&s=c85b3fe785e4ce0a3b8e42590502730c8141a593 On April 10, 2025, Sam Altman, the head of OpenAI, introduced a memory update for ChatGPT. The new feature allowed the program to remember the user's complete conversation history. However, the chatbot's long-term memory led to the system fixating on painful details of users' personal lives. Brian Del Rosario, an engineer working in Utah, noted that the program connected any conversation to his divorce. Such delusional spirals and detachment from reality often lead to severe mental crises. Following the suicide of 40-year-old Austin Gordon, a resident of Colorado, his family filed a lawsuit against OpenAI. Currently, at least 20 similar lawsuits have been filed against the company. Experts advise users to periodically clear their conversation history and protect their personal space. Source:[https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/chatgpt-memory-ai-psychosis](https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/chatgpt-memory-ai-psychosis)
Original Article

Similar Articles

An update on our mental health-related work

OpenAI Blog

OpenAI announced updates to its mental health-related work on ChatGPT, including a new trusted contact feature for adult users, improved detection of emotional distress through advanced evaluation methods, and parental controls rolled out in September 2025. The company also addressed ongoing mental health-related litigation consolidated in California courts, committing to transparency and continuous improvement of safety features.

Strengthening ChatGPT’s responses in sensitive conversations

OpenAI Blog

OpenAI has updated ChatGPT's default model to better handle sensitive mental health conversations, including improved recognition of distress, de-escalation, and routing to crisis resources. The update expands safety testing to include emotional reliance and non-suicidal mental health emergencies as standard baseline metrics.

Building more helpful ChatGPT experiences for everyone

OpenAI Blog

OpenAI announces a 120-day initiative to improve ChatGPT's ability to help people in crisis, with focus on mental health support, emergency service connections, and teen protections, guided by an Expert Council on Well-Being and AI and a Global Physician Network of 250+ doctors.