Stephanie Hepburn

CrisisTalk

Health EN ↓ 12 episodes

Journalist Stephanie Hepburn examines gaps in America’s current mental health system and the innovations trying to bridge them. The first series explores the intersection of AI and mental health.

Author

Stephanie Hepburn

Episodes

Can an AI Chatbot Connect Student Survivors of Sexual Violence to Resources? — Ep 12 25.06.2026 25:57

While a student at Tulane University, Isabella Kulstad founded Cloud IX, an AI platform designed to support students who’ve experienced sexual violence on campus. A conversation with Isabella and Dana Fos, the company’s chief technology officer.

Is AI Triggering Anxiety and OCD? — Ep 11 11.06.2026 27:37

Are broad-use AI chatbots reinforcing anxiety and OCD patterns or even creating new ones? A conversation with psychiatrist Elias Aboujaoude, director of the Internet, Health and Society program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and clinical professor of psychiatry and chief of the Anxiety Disorders Section at Stanford University.

You, Me and Your AI Chatbot — How Therapists Are Navigating Chatbot Use — Ep 10 22.05.2026 30:04

Are AI chatbots shifting the therapeutic landscape and how we relate to one another? A conversation with cyber psychology expert Rachel Wood.

California Jury Finds Meta and Google Liable in Social Media Addiction Case. What Are The Implications for Lawsuits Against AI? — Ep 9 08.05.2026 22:17

Google and Meta were found liable for the plaintiff’s social media addiction to Instagram and YouTube as a child. A conversation with Matthew Bergman, one of the plaintiff’s attorneys, on how the outcome sets precedent for lawsuits against AI chatbot companies.

Who Reduces Loneliness Better — an AI Chatbot or a Peer? AI and Mental Health – Ep. 8 24.04.2026 24:02

Is a highly empathetic AI chatbot or a randomly assigned peer better at reducing loneliness? A conversation with researcher Ruo-Ning Li on what she found.

How Are Young People Using AI Chatbots for Mental Health? AI and Mental Health – Ep. 7 10.04.2026 27:11

Conversation with Shums Alikhan, lead researcher of a new study on how young people are using AI for mental health support.

After Suicide, Mom Discovers Daughter’s ChatGPT Log. AI and Mental Health – Ep. 6 27.03.2026 31:38

After her daughter died by suicide, journalist Laura Reiley discovered her ChatGPT chats. What responsibility do AI chatbot companies have to the people who use them?

What Do AI Chatbots Have to Say for Themselves? AI and Mental Health – Ep. 5 20.02.2026 19:25

How do AI chatbots respond to explicit and implicit mental health language indicating someone might be in crisis? To test this out, Stephanie Hepburn speaks with four models — ChatGPT, Claude, Character. AI and Gemini.

Can AI Train Crisis Counselors? AI and Mental Health – Ep. 4 06.02.2026 34:54

What happens when generative AI is used to train the crisis counselors who answer mental health crisis lines? In this episode, Stephanie Hepburn speaks with Sam Dorison, co-founder and CEO of ReflexAI, the company creating AI simulations to do just that.

The AI Chatbot Will See You Now. AI and Mental Health – Ep. 3 23.01.2026 21:59

The AI chatbot will see you now. A conversation with Nick Jacobson, associate professor at Dartmouth and lead developer of Therabot, a generative AI chatbot in beta testing designed to provide mental health interventions.

3 People Used ChatGPT for Personal Reasons. How Did It Go? AI and Mental Health – Ep. 2 19.12.2025 22:28

Before we understand the guardrails and protections that need to be in place for generative AI chatbots, we must first understand how people are using them. A conversation with three guests on how they’ve used ChatGPT to work through mental health and relationship challenges.

Have We Entered the Era of AI Chatbot Therapists? AI and Mental Health – Ep. 1 12.12.2025 27:04

What happens when people start using AI chatbots for mental health support? A conversation with psychiatrist and researcher John Torous.