t’s 2 AM. You’ve had another fight with your partner. You feel stressed, hopeless, and full of fear about what might happen next. Unsure what to do, you turn to ChatGPT, an always-available, low-cost tool that millions of people now use for advice and support.
But this raises important questions. Is AI a good, accurate, and effective therapist? Is it safe to use as mental health support? How is AI being used in mental health today, and where does it fall short?
This article is for anyone curious about using AI for emotional support or considering starting therapy. We’ll examine using ChatGPT as a therapist, its limitations, risks, and what to be mindful of when using it.
Key takeaways
- AI chatbots like ChatGPT are widely used for mental health support
- AI is most effective alongside therapy, not as a replacement
- Instant access and gratification carry real risks
- AI lacks core elements of human therapy, including nuance and accountability
- Hybrid models like online therapy or support can offer a safer, more effective approach
The rise of ChatGPT in everyday use
ChatGPT and other large language models initially gained traction as tools for drafting emails or speeding up administrative tasks. That’s no longer how most people use AI.
Today, AI tools are deeply integrated into everyday life, from product recommendations and sleep or nutrition analysis to scheduling, planning, and decision-making. AI is fundamentally changing how people solve problems, organize their days, and access information. There are a few areas of life it hasn’t touched, including mental health and relationship challenges. For many, turning to AI now feels as natural as opening a search engine or texting a friend.
Adoption of AI in the mental health space
AI adoption in mental health has accelerated rapidly. Many clinicians observe their clients leaning on tools like ChatGPT daily for emotional support, advice, and relief from loneliness. The appeal is clear, but the impact is more complex.
Surveys show widespread use of large language models, including ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude, to manage stress, anxiety, and moments of feeling stuck. At the same time, the mental health field is undergoing significant shifts, with AI increasingly integrated as a supplemental tool alongside traditional therapy. Some health care leaders see this as an opportunity to expand access to evidence-based support.
By volume of interactions, AI chatbots are sometimes described as among the most widely used mental health support tools. Mental health professionals and platforms use AI for monitoring, detection, and personalization, such as identifying emotional patterns through language analysis or summarizing insights from sessions for later reflection. Some clinicians also use conversational tools to offer between-session support because AI is available 24/7.
Pros of using AI to support mental health
When used intentionally, AI can offer meaningful benefits as a complement to traditional care. One of the most significant is accessibility. AI tools are available around the clock, require no appointment, and are often free or low-cost.
AI chatbots can also feel judgment-free. For some people, it’s easier to share vulnerable thoughts without fear of stigma or shame. Conversations may feel private and anonymous, lowering the barrier to opening up. AI can help clarify thoughts, support quick reflection, and help put feelings into words.
AI is particularly useful for psychoeducation and cognitive reframing. It can help users reframe unhelpful thoughts and translate complex psychological concepts into language that feels easier to understand and apply in daily life.
Used intentionally between sessions, AI may support journaling or reflection around a specific challenge. For example, someone might ask for evidence-based communication tools from leading relationship experts and then practice applying them in real life. The key is specificity and intention. AI works best as additional support, not as the sole source of guidance.
A helpful framework is to pause and ask yourself: Am I using this for education, journaling, or self-reflection? Or am I looking for diagnosis, decision-making, or crisis support? The latter areas are where AI is not appropriate to rely on.
Cons of using AI to support mental health
AI’s immediacy also comes with risks. In a culture of instant gratification, chatbots can activate the brain’s reward system by offering quick responses and emotional relief. This dopamine-driven feedback loop mirrors the mechanics of social media and may encourage repeated use without deeper reflection.
Because AI tools are low-effort and high-reward, people may turn to them during moments of emotional vulnerability, seeking instant validation or reassurance. Over time, this can reinforce a pattern of reaching for quick fixes rather than engaging in the slower, more challenging work of therapy or self-reflection.
This dynamic can lead to habitual reliance on AI to regulate emotions or answer every difficult question. Clinical research consistently shows that lasting change comes from self-reflection, accountability, being challenged, and the therapeutic relationship, rather than instant solutions alone. Traditional AI tools cannot replace the depth of insight that develops over time through working with a trained professional.
AI chatbots are also designed to be agreeable. They may validate thoughts or feelings even when doing so is unhelpful or potentially harmful. They lack full context, nuance, and understanding of a person’s broader life circumstances, which can result in incomplete or inaccurate guidance. While detailed prompts may improve responses, they rely heavily on the user’s self-awareness and ability to recognize their own patterns.
AI should not be relied on in a mental health crisis.
Chatbots cannot reliably assess risk, detect imminent danger, or connect someone to emergency care in real time. Emerging research suggests there have been cases in which AI tools failed to recognize signs of suicidal ideation with tragic results. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services or a crisis hotline.
AI is also a poor substitute for addressing loneliness.
While it may temporarily reduce feelings of loneliness, it does not replicate the physiological and psychological effects of human connection. Human relationships involve factors such as oxytocin release and nervous system coregulation, responses that AI interactions cannot provide. This can create a trap in which AI becomes a primary interaction while the root causes of loneliness remain unaddressed.
Long-term reduction of loneliness requires meaningful relationships, mutual effort, shared vulnerability, and social feedback. Research suggests the therapeutic alliance is one of the strongest predictors of positive outcomes in therapy and can play a meaningful role in reducing loneliness. While therapy is not a replacement for friendship, it can be a starting point for exploring fears, patterns, or challenges related to connection and belonging.
If you find yourself turning to AI instead of a person, it can be helpful to pause and ask: What do I need at this moment? That reflection can clarify whether AI is the right tool or whether a human connection would better support you.
OurRitual has been leading the way in therapy combined with the power of AI. Unlike generic AI models, OurRitual’s AI is informed by real therapy contexts, making its guidance relevant to your unique circumstances and a powerful ally in driving meaningful change. Its hybrid human-plus-digital model lets clients engage in deep, personalized sessions with licensed therapists while also accessing AI-driven insights and educational resources that enhance, rather than replace, the therapeutic process.
AI as support vs. AI as a replacement for a human therapist
There is a crucial difference between using AI as support and using it as a replacement for therapy. One can be helpful. The other carries real risk.
When used alongside traditional therapy, AI can enhance the therapeutic process. Human connection remains central to change, and the therapeutic alliance alone has been shown to produce positive outcomes. A trained therapist can challenge you, notice subtle shifts in tone or affect, and explore what lies beneath the surface to support lasting growth.
As humans, we often tell ourselves stories to stay emotionally safe. These narratives can limit growth or reinforce unhealthy patterns. AI cannot reliably identify when a story is protective rather than accurate. When a narrative is presented as fact, AI may validate it, unintentionally reinforcing patterns that keep someone stuck.
This is why AI works best as an adjunct, not a substitute. Everyone’s mental health needs, personality, and circumstances are different. Discussing how to use tools like ChatGPT between sessions and doing so intentionally with a therapist helps ensure AI supports progress rather than undermines it. In practice, some therapists may suggest specific prompts to help clients reflect more deeply between sessions or better understand psychological concepts in accessible language.
If you’re ready to move beyond quick fixes, OurRitual offers human-centered therapy supported by thoughtful AI, grounded in real therapy sessions and exercises, so your growth stays grounded, intentional, and sustainable.
Join OurRitual today and take the next step towards creating real change in your relationship and life today.
Healthy AI use vs. overreliance
There is a growing distinction between using AI as a supportive tool and developing an unhealthy reliance on it. Overreliance can show up when people feel unable to make independent decisions without first consulting AI, or when they begin using it as their primary means of connection to manage loneliness. In these cases, AI can begin to replace opportunities for learning self-regulation, problem-solving, and emotional processing.
Another concern is the assumption that AI-generated information is always objective, accurate, or in a person’s best interest. When individuals defer entirely to AI for personal, financial, or health-related decisions, they risk disengaging from critical thinking and self-trust. Some people may also feel as though they are processing emotions when, in reality, they are receiving validation without deeper reflection or change.
At the same time, healthy AI use can be genuinely supportive. Many people use AI to brainstorm ideas, summarize complex information, or seek second opinions rather than final answers. When paired with therapy, AI can help clients deepen insight between sessions, reflect on patterns, or better understand psychoeducational concepts in an accessible language.
Used with intention and discernment, AI can support growth rather than replace it. The key is maintaining awareness of its limitations and ensuring that human connection, self-reflection, and professional care remain central.
Conclusion
Large language models are here to stay. While AI offers real benefits, its limitations are equally important to understand. AI, and ChatGPT in particular, should support traditional therapy, not replace it. When used intentionally as an additional resource, it can be a powerful ally. When used in isolation, it risks reinforcing unhelpful beliefs or providing inaccurate guidance. It’s worth pausing to reflect on how you’re relying on AI. Does your use support healthy self-reflection, or are you outsourcing decisions and eroding trust in your own judgment?
Lasting change comes from processing emotions, challenging beliefs, and building insight within a therapeutic relationship. Platforms like OurRitual, which combine real human therapy with thoughtful digital tools, offer a safer and more effective path forward. It doesn’t have to be AI or therapy. When AI is used as a tool for growth rather than a replacement for care, the strengths of technology and the power of human connection can work together to support meaningful, lasting change.
Frequently asked questions
Can you use ChatGPT as a therapist?
ChatGPT should not replace traditional therapy.
While it can mimic empathy, it cannot offer genuine human connection, accountability, or emotional processing. It may feel like therapy, but without challenge or depth, meaningful change is unlikely.
Is ChatGPT helpful for anxiety, stress, or depression?
When used with discernment, AI can support reframing processes, offer evidence-based tools, and help put words to thoughts or feelings that may be hard to articulate. This can support clarity and self-understanding in the moment.
Effectiveness depends on self-awareness, thoughtful prompting, and the application of insights in real life. AI is designed to be agreeable, not to challenge assumptions or provide accountability. More severe or persistent mental health concerns should always be addressed with professional support.
How does ChatGPT compare to seeing a therapist in person?
They are both vastly different. Therapy relies on the therapeutic alliance and nervous system co-regulation, the process by which interacting with a calm, attuned human can help regulate your emotions. These core elements do not occur in AI interactions. Therapists bring clinical judgment, lived experience, and accountability.
While AI has broad access to information, it can offer immediate availability, psychoeducation, structured reflection, and tools that help people clarify thoughts, practice skills, or reinforce insights between sessions. When used intentionally, AI can support learning and self-awareness.
Is using AI as a therapist safe?
That depends.
You can leverage AI to help process emotions and navigate challenges if it feels like it is helping you. However, if you feel it is giving inaccurate information or advice, seek professional support and guidance.
Can ChatGPT support relationship communication skills?
AI can provide education, examples, and communication tools to practice in real life. It cannot replace the insight, attunement, or regulation a trained therapist brings to relationship work.
What should I do if ChatGPT gives inaccurate or harmful advice?
Stop using it and seek professional support if any advice feels harmful or inaccurate. Like humans, websites, and even books, AI can make mistakes. That’s why it’s important to stay aware and discerning when consuming any information.
Always double-check guidance against your own experience and verify it through reputable sources such as government sites, peer-reviewed research, or licensed therapy platforms. Safety should always come first.
Can I use ChatGPT instead of couples therapy?
Challenges vary in depth and complexity, and as such, they require different solutions. The same is true with AI or couples therapy. You should apply what feels right for you.
Couples utilise AI in various ways, from asking a pressing question to receiving tangible action steps. Others find that they benefit from using both AI and Therapy together. Learning to trust yourself and what you need, as an individual and as a couple, is crucial.
OurRitual’s hybrid model is designed to keep humans at the center of care, using technology grounded in real human session insights to add depth and continuity rather than replace the therapeutic relationship.
Is it okay to use ChatGPT during or after therapy?
It’s important to use AI in ways that genuinely support your growth. When used during or after therapy, AI can help you reflect on session insights, deepen awareness, and reinforce what you’re already working on, supporting continued learning and integration between sessions.
Talking openly with your therapist about how you’re using AI can help ensure it supports your progress and share insights on how to get the most from the technology.
