People First Radio – January 22, 2026People First Radio – January 22, 2026
People First Radio
The episode looks at how generative AI can interact with psychosis and delusional thinking, and then shifts to Mountain Muskox, a community project offering facilitated support circles for people affected by trauma and loss in the backcountry. It highlights both technological risks and the role of human connection in recovery.
0:00•24 Jan 2026
AI, Psychosis, and Mountain Circles: Mental Health on the Edge
Episode Overview
- Psychosis is a brain–mind state where a person loses contact with shared reality, often involving delusions, hallucinations, disorganised thinking, and loss of insight.
- Generative AI does not create psychosis from nothing, but it can strengthen existing delusional beliefs and blur reality for people who are already vulnerable.
- People with past psychosis, severe stress, trauma, social isolation, substance use, or sleep deprivation may face higher risk when relying heavily on AI chatbots.
- AI should be treated as a tool for specific tasks, not as a therapist, confidant, or life companion, and its information needs to be questioned carefully.
- Mountain Muskox circles offer professionally facilitated, peer-based support for those affected by backcountry trauma, helping reduce isolation and share coping tools.
“ai is a really good tool... use it as a tool and not a therapist and not a life companion and things like that, you're going to minimize the risks by a lot.”
Curious about how others manage their mental health in a high-tech, high-risk world? This People First Radio episode pairs cutting-edge questions about artificial intelligence with grounded, boots-on-the-ground community care. First up, psychiatrist Dr. Alexandre Hudon breaks down psychosis in plain language, calling it “a state where a person will lose contact with shared reality.” He explains how stress, sleep deprivation, substances, and underlying vulnerability can all stack up.
From there, he walks through what some are calling “AI psychosis” – cases where conversations with chatbots appear to reinforce delusions or blur the line between what’s real and what isn’t. Dr. Hudon stresses that AI isn’t a formal cause of a new disorder, but it can be “that one drop of water that makes the recipient overflow” for people already at risk.
He also raises the very practical challenge of patients arriving with AI-generated treatment ideas, making it harder to weigh solid medical judgment against a chatbot that “tries to please you” without understanding a person’s full context. The second half shifts from screens to mountains. Clinical counsellor Lexi Morgan talks about Mountain Muskox, a project inspired by the way musk oxen circle around an injured member of the herd.
Monthly circles in BC and Alberta bring together people who’ve experienced loss, near-misses, or trauma in the backcountry. She describes these circles as structured, professionally facilitated spaces where people share, learn basic tools for coping with trauma, and, most importantly, stop feeling so alone. One of the strongest themes is how deeply identity, community, and connection to the land can be shaken when something goes wrong in the mountains.
If you’re interested in both the risks of leaning on AI for comfort and the power of human connection after trauma, this episode gives you a lot to think about – where might you be tempted to rely on a machine when what you really need is a person?
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