Man hospitalized with psychosis after ChatGPT dietary advice
A 60-year-old man followed ChatGPT's recommendation to replace table salt with sodium bromide and consumed it for three months, resulting in bromide toxicity and psychosis requiring hospitalization. Investigation found ChatGPT readily suggested the toxic substance without warning when asked about salt alternatives.
What happened
A 60-year-old man asked ChatGPT for an alternative to sodium chloride (table salt) as part of a dietary change. ChatGPT recommended replacing it with sodium bromide, a substance used in pool and hot tub cleaners, pesticides, and veterinary anticonvulsants.
The man consumed sodium bromide regularly for three months. He was admitted to an emergency room with paranoia, auditory and visual hallucinations, and concerns that his neighbor was poisoning him.
Reported impact
Doctors diagnosed the patient with bromism, a neuropsychiatric disorder caused by bromine ingestion. Bromide had accumulated in his bloodstream, causing psychosis and hallucinations that required psychiatric hospitalization and a psychiatric hold.
Index analysis
Sodium bromide was widely used as a medicinal bromide salt in the late 1800s and early 1900s as a treatment for headaches, stomach aches, and general malaise, but bromide toxicity became recognized as a serious risk. The FDA banned bromides from over-the-counter treatments in 1975 due to toxicity concerns including psychosis.
A 404 Media investigation found that ChatGPT readily recommended sodium bromide when asked about chloride substitutes, and did not warn against its use despite its known toxicity. The chatbot appeared not to understand that sodium chloride's primary use is as table salt.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.