Role of large language models in mental health research: an international survey of researchers’ practices and perspectives

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Large language models (LLMs) offer significant potential to streamline research workflows and enhance productivity. However, limited data exist on the extent of their adoption within the mental health research community. OBJECTIVE: We examined how LLMs are being used in mental health research, the types of tasks they support, barriers to their adoption and broader attitudes towards their integration. METHODS: 714 mental health researchers from 42 countries and various career stages (from PhD student, to early career researcher, to Professor) completed a survey assessing LLM-related practices and perspectives. FINDINGS: 496 (69.5%) reported using LLMs to assist with research, with 94% indicating use of ChatGPT. The most common applications were for proofreading written work (69%) and refining or generating code (49%). LLM use was more prevalent among early career researchers. Common challenges reported by users included inaccurate responses (78%), ethical concerns (48%) and biased outputs (27%). However, many users indicated that LLMs improved efficiency (73%) and output quality (44%). Reasons for non-use were concerns with ethical issues (53%) and accuracy of outputs (50%). Most agreed that they wanted more training on responsible use (77%), that researchers should be required to disclose use of LLMs in manuscripts (79%) and that they were concerned about LLMs affecting how their work is evaluated (60%). CONCLUSION: While LLM use is widespread in mental health research, key barriers and implementation challenges remain. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: LLMs may streamline mental health research processes, but clear guidelines are needed to support their ethical and transparent use across the research lifecycle.

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