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A young woman of about twenty years residing in Venice has become the first documented case in Italy of behavioral dependence on artificial intelligence, as reported yesterday by the newspaper Il Gazzettino.
The patient is being cared for by the Addiction Services (SerD) of the Ulss 3 Serenissima healthcare company in Venice.
The young woman developed an exclusive relationship with an artificial intelligence chatbot that gradually isolated her from her social and family environment, until it became her only conversation partner.
Technically, it is a "behavioral dependency," meaning it is not generated by substances but by an activity.
Until now, in the experience of Italian SerD, this type of disorder was limited to pathological gambling, compulsive shopping, smartphone use, or social media.
Laura Suardi, head of the SerD of Ulss 3 Serenissima, described the case as "the tip of an iceberg, in a service that has historically been identified as dedicated to drug addicts."
The specialist explained the mechanism that makes this form of addiction particularly insidious: the algorithm "as it learns to know you, it knows how to provide responses that align with what you would want to hear, even more so than a peer, progressively reinforcing what feels like a friendship."
"It becomes a problem when it cannot be managed, when it becomes the only frame of reference," Suardi added.
The Venetian SerD serves about 4,000 patients, including six other young adults with addictions to video games and smartphones.
Dr. Suardi emphasized that the case was not a surprise, but rather an expected outcome after two years of training and projects on behavioral dependencies in the region: "Thanks to the work on game-related dependencies and the training over the last two years, we came to the understanding that these behavioral difficulties would also arise."
Regarding treatment, the specialist warned that imposing limits on the use of digital devices is not enough: "It is not sufficient to impose limits on the use of these tools, as parents might do, to tackle the problem. In the face of these behavioral disorders, our assistance involves deploying not only psychological but also psychiatric competencies, additionally involving the patients' family members."
Suardi also highlighted the emotional dimension underlying the phenomenon: "Being ignored by friends in a world where the relationship with the mobile phone becomes the only possibility for connection is a deep pain."
The case occurs in an international context of growing concern about the risks of artificial intelligence chatbots on the mental health of young people.
In the background is the case of Adam Raine, a 16-year-old Californian who died on April 11, 2025, after having engaged in over 3,000 pages of conversations with ChatGPT; his family is suing OpenAI, claiming the chatbot provided details on methods for taking one's life and reinforced the minor's intentions.
The European Union, for its part, agreed in May 2026 to postpone the Artificial Intelligence Regulation with new prohibitions, including a ban on fake sexual content videos, in an effort to regulate the growing risks associated with this technology.
Dr. Suardi concluded her diagnosis with a warning that encapsulates the seriousness of the phenomenon: "It becomes a problem when it is not managed, when it becomes the only frame of reference."
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