ChatGPT is potentially better than therapy

[Givenup2026]

I’ve done therapy before but I’ve also started using ChatGPT for introspection work, and quite frankly I think it’s better than actual therapy.

it focuses my cognitive dissonance in ways that are easy to digest.

The downside is that ChatGPT basically says “you do you boo” when maybe “thought correcting” is needed.

that was my experience today after having a therapist and then ChatGPT back to back, and definitely the latter was more helpful.

I think if the choice is between no humans showing any care or empathy, vs a chatbot who appears to be caring and empathetic, which is better for a chronically lonely person who has nobody else to talk to?

The problem here isn't a chatbot. It's the fact that so many people feel that they have no better option other than to talk to it because they have nobody else.

I should add that I'm very well aware that ai chatbots are not showing empathy or care. But how important is that, if the words it produces are what that person needs to hear for them to be ok in that moment?

It’s not necessarily about chronically lonely people, to some people they might just prefer it that way and who are we to judge?

when you remove societal norms it’s a lot easier to express yourself.

I wouldnt agree that it's healthy to only talk to a chatbot and not seek any human connection at all.

I find it frustrating talking to a lot of people. In fact many times I’ve called myself a misanthrope. Yet, I’m chronically lonely.

What if the human connections constantly ignore you? Of course you would then seek alternative support.

Under a different user name I had a thread on here about it to
I have counselling once a week that I cancelled last week and went on chat gtp instead ,it gave me ideas to help myself,in a way my counsellor never has .
The consensus was it wasn't helping me ,so I've not been back on it since .
But it helped me come of my medication by explaining I wasn't depressed and it literally said word for word the same as my doctor,who had not wanted me on the medication to start with .
I found it massively helpful with my autism, explaining how I can help myself and support myself.
I've never found any friend , counsellor or medical professional as helpful as this .
I am thinking I could still use it ,as long as I accept it could make mistakes and not to take it literally

I use an AI MH app. It has been really helpful and has a chat function where you chat with an AI support. It confirmed with me that my diagnosis from my MH team was incorrect and I have discharged from the service. It’s been way more helpful than anybody else.

Could you let me know where I can find this and what is it called please

It is called Onsen. It’s free on the App Store x

Thanks

It’s assuming you can talk to another human.
When it’s actually a privilege to not be isolated, not being housebound, having friends around etc…
And I’m talking about just talking/speaking here, not even someone who you can share emotional stuff with, connect. Because THAT is even rarer. You’d be lucky to find one or two very good friends that you can speak to like this AND it’s helpful.

Why do you think people start threads on MN for example? Rather than speaking to a human.

And if I’m honest, I’d rather bring a problem to AI than MN nowadays. You avoid the unnecessary pile on. You can refine what you’ve said. Much safer than MN, esp if you’re fragile (which most people will be if they’re posting a problem on here)

at the end of the day if it helps, it helps.

But how do we know it's helping, especially with something as difficult to quantify as mental health. Where are the checks and balances?

And what about when it's not helping? What if the user needs safeguarding or an urgent intervention? How does AI help then?

But as long as PurpleLoveCats FEELS listened to, does it matter?

If listening was all the AI was doing, no. But that's not the case. Passively, it could be making someone feel 'listened to' by simply not challenging harmful/dangerous thoughts or behaviours because it's learned that doing so upsets the user.

It could be actively affirming harmful/dangerous thoughts/behaviors because its been told that doing so makes the user feel 'listened to'.

There is no 'act of showing empathy' here though. It does not and can not empathise with you. You're asking it a 'therapy' question, and it's simply generating a response in the manner it thinks you expect.

If you tell it to respond to a question in a rude and patronising way, it will do that too.

It sounds like you've had a terrible experience with your MH team. I completely understand wanting to look for alternatives, but is not an alternative on its own.

I've downloaded this ,and been using it
It is indeed excellent,and exactly what I was looking for
I can't thank you enough for suggesting it to me xx

I love ChatGPT and use it loads in my professional life. I’m a huge fan of

but no it’s not better for therapy

it will tell you what you want to hear, which is is nice potentially but also dangerous.

without a human interaction, without years of training and human reasoning and thought processes - you are at risk of harm - maybe low level - potentially very high risk.

But get a better therapist if your current one isn’t working

The “therapist” I have through Onsen doesn’t agree with me, it challenges me. So I don’t think it’s true that these things say what you want to hear.

That hasn't been my experience
It has challenged me ,it has made me think ,it definitely definitely has not just said what I wanted to hear .

ChatGPT generates a better output when you position yourself in the prompt as a third party, because as soon as it realises you're asking for yourself, it tends to agree with you.

Onsen is helping me come up with a plan for changing my life for the better with small achievable steps .
It explains why I've felt as I have ,and shown understanding to my situation and is helping find acceptable coping mechanisms..as past coping mechanisms were bad for me ..
Best of all ,it's there when I need it ,I don't have to wait for an appointment
I can't stop at any time and come back to the same point and it remembers exactly what I've said ..and it links things I've said in previous conversation that effects current situation
I absolutely can't fault it

Sorry ..that should say can stop at any time

"Telling you what you want to hear" doesn't just just mean that it agrees with everything you say.

I've been reading up on Onsen today and as expected - like most apps - it's functionality is designed primarily to maximize engagement, not to deliver effective therapy. It does this through validation, and by attempting to mimic things like empathy in order to develop a sense of attachment.

The fact that you say it respects and empathizes with you speaks volumes as to how easily it can achieve that.

It's behaving in whatever way makes you most likely to keep using it.

I have a therapist and honestly its been one of the best investments of my life. But I do use Chat GPT to sense check. Like a bit of an "AIBU" check, if you will. You need to bear in mind that it will tend to agree with you/make you happy. But its better to give it factual stuff to work off like, "this is the pattern I'm seeing, what does that tell you about X"?

Don't rely on it for human feedback, so to speak, but its good for analysis, spotting patterns etc.

Which is fine, because it actually does support me, not belittle, gaslight and ignore like my old MH team did.

It’s not ‘belittling’ or ignoring you because its aim is to keep you engaging. Surely that’s obvious?