Man needs admitting to psychiatric ward after taking advice from ChatGPT

A man ended up in hospital with poisoning after asking ChatGPT for diet advice in a bid to reduce his salt intake. The 60-year-old man suffered poisoning after asking the Artificial Intelligence program how he could cut sodium chloride - table salt - from his diet.

Salt is linked to a range of health problems including heart failure, organ damage and high blood pressure. But according to a new medical case study in the American College of Physicians Journals, the man was advised to replace Sodium Chloride with Sodium Bromide.

The report says the man developed a type of poisoning known as bromism, or bromide toxicity. The specific type of poisoning has become less common since the 1990s when Sodium Bromide used to be added to over-the-counter drugs used to treat insomnia, hysteria and anxiety.

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The chemical has not been used since it was found to be linked to neuropsychiatric and dermatological illnesses. The report says that the man was hospitalised with increased paranoia and auditory and visual hallucinations.

It reads: “He was noted to be very thirsty but paranoid about water he was offered."

The man was admitted to a hospital psychiatric unit where he was treated with water and electrolytes. He also had new facial acne and cherry angiomas - non cancerous red or purple bumps on the skin. He told doctors he had stopped using table salt and was instead taking sodium bromide afterreading about the negative health effects of sodium chloride.

He had been using bromide for three months. The report reads: “Inspired by his history of studying nutrition in college, he decided to conduct a personal experiment to eliminate chloride from his diet." It says he replaced table salt with “sodium bromide obtained from the internet after consultation with ChatGPT, in which he had read that chloride can be swapped with bromide, though likely for other purposes, such as cleaning.”

The man spent three weeks in the hospital. The report authors said: “It 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."

Open AI, the developer of ChatGPT, says in its Terms of Use the chatbot's replies “may not always be accurate.” It states: “You should not rely on Output from our Services as a sole source of truth or factual information, or as a substitute for professional advice."

The company’s Service Terms also state: “Our Services are not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of any health condition.”

Bromism is the syndrome which results from the long-term consumption of bromine, usually through bromine-based sedatives such as potassium bromide and lithium bromide. Bromism was once a very common disorder, being responsible for 5% to 10% of psychiatric hospital admissions, but is now uncommon since bromide was withdrawn from clinical use in many countries and was severely restricted in others.

Common symptoms may include restlessness, irritability, ataxia, confusion, hallucinations, psychosis, weakness, stupor, and, in severe cases, coma.

Gastrointestinal effects include nausea and vomiting as acute adverse effects. Chronic exposure may lead to anorexia or constipation. Dermatological effects include cherry angiomas, acne, and pustular and erythematous rashes.