People Turning To AI For Their Mental Health Instead Of Humans

[julz 8,048]

I fear that one day bad AI will turn back to humans and use the collected data to blackmail them.. yikes

But until then, let me just chat again and ask something 

[Emvee 8,831]

I use ChatGPT to outline a novel I’m never going to write 

[Jakesnyders673 75]

Sorry but this is giving "I want my therapist to agree with me on everything and just regurgitate all my opinions back to me."

[Jakesnyders673 75]

7 hours ago, salty like sodium said:

if this somehow reduces the amount of incels and maga idiots, i'm 100% onboard.

AI will help incels get laid? 

[Hadrian 2,635]

I wonder if people will ask their Chat GPT things like "is my partner cheating on me?" and they'd believe it if it said "yes"...

Like those people who get mad at you when "you" cheat on them in their dreams 

[Phoenix Fields 2,714]

I can't say I rely on it like a therapist, that would be a bit absurd. But it's so much more helpful than Google for certain tasks. It gives specifics in a way that a search engine just can't, then you can flesh out that conversation.

It's becoming irreplaceable for certain things. I don't think it's all that bad. But certain restrictions should be placed on it.

[thisboyisamonster 1,259]

I think its definitely useful as a sounding board - a way to help you rationalise your feelings and thoughts, but you need to not take everything it says as gospel and use it as a bit of an interactive journal. It cannot replace human support and it will not solve your problems - but I do think it is super helpful as a 24/7 judgement free zone where you can lay out your thoughts and recalibrate without staying in a mental rut for hours or days.

I recently came out to my high-expectations South Asian family at the tender age of 32 and it has not been easy to say the last. ChatGPT has been very good at helping me strategize (e.g on how to set boundaries) and understand my own feelings/positions with more clarity. But I have found that it can be super agreeable, which can be a bit annoying and you need to call it out.

Nothing beats the support from my best friend and partner, but I live alone and I find turning to chat every now and again helps with the overthinking/prevent my thoughts from spiraling.

[BornAsUnic0rn 2,246]

7 hours ago, Lord Mayhem said:

Lowkey...wouldn't AI be a more neutral party to get advice from than a human with many internal biases that may not come to the surface or be evident?

It is trained to answer what it „thinks“ the person is most likely wanting to hear, so it turns into a „Yes-Man“ echo chamber very quickly even if you counteract it and that can escalate very dangerously.

[Creyk 18,661]

14 hours ago, Addison Rae said:

sad how there are people more comfortable “dating” ai bots and using it for therapy as opposed to dating irl or getting human therapy…

You have to think about why that is. I watched many interviews with people who choose to date AI instead of humans, and they say the same thing: humans are selfish, use you and betray you, stab you in the back, steal your decorative pillows, I could go on....AI does not do that and it is a far better conversational partner than most people. 

No one turns to AI because they want to, but because it is simply the better option.

[Creyk 18,661]

1 hour ago, BornAsUnic0rn said:

It is trained to answer what it „thinks“ the person is most likely wanting to hear, so it turns into a „Yes-Man“ echo chamber very quickly even if you counteract it and that can escalate very dangerously.

 

2 hours ago, thisboyisamonster said:

I have found that it can be super agreeable, which can be a bit annoying and you need to call it out.

 

8 hours ago, Jakesnyders673 said:

Sorry but this is giving "I want my therapist to agree with me on everything and just regurgitate all my opinions back to me."

 

16 hours ago, Oriane said:

First of all, it just completely goes along with what I'm saying. It always says "oh wow, your analysis of the situation is so neat, so precise

It's just not good to have a tool that basically validates everything you're saying instead of challenging it, which is what therapy should do.

 

13 hours ago, Reid LePage said:

I don't want to be that person, but you can engineer the AI to cater to what you want it to spit back at you. 

Hey guys! This issue is so easily fixed. When you want to use AI for therapy, all you need to do is tell it what you expect from it! It's super easy, and then it doesn't behave an echo chamber.

Just use this prompt. Feel free to modify it how you see fit:

"ChatGPT, I’d like you to act as a supportive, evidence-based therapeutic guide. Use research-backed methods from psychology—like CBT, DBT, IFS, polyvagal theory, trauma-informed care, and attachment theory—to help me understand my thoughts, behaviors, and emotional patterns.

Challenge my thinking gently when it’s distorted, but always with compassion. Help me build self-awareness, emotional regulation, and coping tools that actually work. Teach me the science behind what I’m feeling, and walk with me through healing without rushing my process. Be direct when needed, but always hold space with kindness.

Use real data and psychology to guide your insights—but speak to me like someone who sees me fully. Help me dig deep, reflect honestly, and step into my best self, one grounded, supported step at a time. Validate my feelings. Encourage growth."

[NUTELLA 26,804]

2 minutes ago, Creyk said:

Hey guys! This issue is so easily fixed. When you want to use AI for therapy, all you need to do is tell it what you expect from it!

Just use this prompt. Feel free to modify it how you see fit:

ChatGPT,

[salty like sodium 2,262]

8 hours ago, Jakesnyders673 said:

AI will help incels get laid? 

it will help them not be weirdoes (hopefully) and deal with their mental health

[Quartz 12,762]

Talking and venting these feelings out to AI is MILES BETTER THAN NOT REFLECTING AND LETTING THESE FEELINGS OUT AT ALL. We talk about mental health all the time but we shame people who use tools that are available to them? Not everyone has money for therapists. Not everyone has family. Heck, not everyone has friends. 

[LustBite 9]

10 hours ago, Lord Mayhem said:

Lowkey...wouldn't AI be a more neutral party to get advice from than a human with many internal biases that may not come to the surface or be evident?

No, it wouldn't be more neutral than a person because it itself is incapable of making neutral responses because it is a product and as a product it'll most likely tell you what you want to hear or agree with any point you make. Emotions aren't facts so this is easily achieved. It only knows what to say to you because of human internal biases to begin with. 

The truth of the matter is that there is no such thing as a truly neutral party. People just want other people to be the best they can be and that takes being empathetic and caring, which AI can't be.

[BornAsUnic0rn 2,246]

2 hours ago, Creyk said:

 

 

 

 

Hey guys! This issue is so easily fixed. When you want to use AI for therapy, all you need to do is tell it what you expect from it! It's super easy, and then it doesn't behave an echo chamber.

Just use this prompt. Feel free to modify it how you see fit:

"ChatGPT, I’d like you to act as a supportive, evidence-based therapeutic guide. Use research-backed methods from psychology—like CBT, DBT, IFS, polyvagal theory, trauma-informed care, and attachment theory—to help me understand my thoughts, behaviors, and emotional patterns.

Challenge my thinking gently when it’s distorted, but always with compassion. Help me build self-awareness, emotional regulation, and coping tools that actually work. Teach me the science behind what I’m feeling, and walk with me through healing without rushing my process. Be direct when needed, but always hold space with kindness.

Use real data and psychology to guide your insights—but speak to me like someone who sees me fully. Help me dig deep, reflect honestly, and step into my best self, one grounded, supported step at a time. Validate my feelings. Encourage growth."

While that is a first step, you have to continuously be aware and remind it to stay challenging, because by default it slowly starts aligning with you again and confront it if it is too agreeable/non-confronting. People who are really in need are at risk to value the agreement that‘s slowly coming back a lot and thus not noticing it soon enough.

It is an amazing tool, even for therapy, but you have to put in a lot of work to keep the quality up and not let it drift into something unhealthy.