Ethical Challenges in the Use of Artificial Intelligence for Psychiatric Patient Management: A Systematic Review

This systematic review examines ethical challenges arising from the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in psychiatric patient management. Six databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, PsycINFO and CINAHL) were searched to 1 December 2025. Fourteen empirical studies published between 2020 and 2025 (ten qualitative, two cross-sectional survey and two mixed-methods studies) were appraised with the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool and synthesized thematically. Across stakeholders—patients, clinicians, young people, and experts—AI was viewed as promising for improving access, efficiency, and personalization of care, yet raised concerns about privacy, surveillance, bias, loss of empathy, and unclear accountability. Participants described the ethical acceptability of AI as conditional on strong data protection, transparency, human oversight, and equity-focused implementation. Because the evidence base is small, largely perception-based, drawn mainly from high-income countries and often concerned with hypothetical tools, these findings should be regarded as exploratory; they nevertheless point to the need for human-centred, ethically governed AI integration in mental healthcare.