So there I was: It was about 10 p.m., I was in bed, half-asleep, scrolling through TikTok, and I came across a video of a girl using ChatGPT as her therapist — and honestly? If all it takes is an AI hot-button to chill out and put my feelings out there — sign me up. (Because IDK about y’all, but I’ve been in dire need of a juicy, love life venting session.)
While ChatGPT is an AI chatbot widely known for aiding in crafting emails, creating itineraries, summarizing texts, and even explaining complex topics in easy-to-understand language (which saved me this semester, BTW), it’s entering a new era: being an emotional support button. With its feature “MindMateGPT,” users are able to use it as a mental health assistant, described by ChatGPT as “a tool for reflective journaling.” But while this can be a blessing for those who don’t have access to therapy or other mental health services, it can equally be a curse.
So I took it upon myself to vent to ChatGPT about my current love life struggles to not only see what it would say, but to see how I would feel afterwards, too. I mean, robots deserve a fair chance too… right?
Why are people using ChatGPT as a therapist?
So, why the hell has Gen Z decided that using ChatGPT as a therapist was a good idea in the first place? “There is a huge demand for therapy, but not enough therapists to provide it. Costs can be prohibitive, and for people in remote areas, access can be patchy,” therapist Matt Hussey tells Her Campus. “ChatGPT, on the other hand, is always on and always available. As a result, it can be a great place to offload feelings, organize thoughts, or receive gentle suggestions for coping skills. There’s real value in simply being ‘heard,’ even if it’s by lines of code.”
So, when you’re feeling especially down and feel like you need an immediate emotional dump, ChatGPT can be your best friend, a quick emotional release, or a placeholder until you can speak to an actual therapist. And, if you’re like me and have way too many emotions and thoughts for your little brain, it might just be worth a try.
How do you vent to AI in the first place?
If there’s any way to think about MindMate, it should not be as a therapist, but as a journal. It lacks valuable insight into your personal life, and can therefore not offer you advice that will actually work for you. “It’s drawing from generalized patterns in data, not from an understanding of you as a human being,” Hussey says. “Whereas a doctor can know what options are available and your personal story, ChatGPT will guess and hope that’s the answer you wanted.”
So, in order to make the most out of ChatGPT’s feature, you’re going to want to be as specific as possible, set boundaries, fact-check the info, and use it for brainstorming instead of for diagnosing, according to Hussey. “The clearer you are about your question or problem, the more useful the AI’s responses can be. Instead of ‘I’m sad,’ try ‘I’ve been feeling sad since my breakup. How can I cope with the loneliness?’” Hussey says.
And you’re going to want to remember that it’s not qualified for emergencies. “If you’re in crisis, seek help from a trusted person or professional,” Hussey says. “Fact-check any advice, especially around mental health, medication, or legal issues. A simple prompt, such as ‘provide sources for this answer as a list,’ can be useful. In other words, let ChatGPT be a thinking partner, not a substitute for real care.”
So, I vented to ChatGPT about my love life.
As I mentioned, I’ve recently been feeling like I need a good vent about my love life. In my single era, my mind has recently been playing tug-of-war with my heart and my brain: while one part of me loves the peace that comes with being single, the other part of me craves intimacy. But here’s the catch: I push everyone away before they can get too close.
So, obviously, I’ve been quite confused. I’m bored, but then I’m too lazy to pursue anything. I start to really like someone, but then I dip once it’s reciprocated. I get the ick too easily, and I can’t stand someone who comes on too strong. Is it me, or is it them? Are my standards too high, or am I just emotionally unavailable?
As you can see… I was in need of a good vent. But I didn’t want to overwhelm MindMate within the first five seconds of our interaction. So I started off with a question to ease into the convo: “How do I know if I have an anxious-avoidant attachment style when it comes to dating and relationships?”
Honestly, not bad, MindMate. It started off by applauding my bravery, then went on to validate my feelings, and then finally prompted me to open up more, and on my own terms. After some (or a lot) of back and forth (which was basically me sending 300-word paragraphs every five minutes), I honestly did feel a lot better. Not because of the insight I was necessarily being given, but because of how much lighter I felt afterwards.
It would use phrases such as “take your time, and tell me what that feels like for you,” and “thank you for trusting me with that.” These reassuring words are simple, but can go a long way when you’re just looking to rant and not feel like you’re being perceived or judged by somebody. When I was done ranting, I thanked it for listening, and it, once again, applauded my honesty and trust, validated and reassured my feelings, offered some insight, and encouraged me to come back for a vent whenever I needed it.
Honestly, all things considered, I think it was definitely beneficial for me in the moment. I needed a quick release, and that’s exactly what MindMate is for. It can’t diagnose me, nor can it really help me beyond offering a virtual shoulder to lean on. It’s not a replacement for therapy, but rather an interactive journal, as Hussey would describe it. “A robot, however advanced, doesn’t ‘feel’ your pain. It doesn’t care in the human sense,” Hussey says. “It can’t help you piece together childhood wounds or gently challenge your self-defeating patterns. It can only approximate the shape of a caring conversation. Human connection heals in ways that a chatbot simply can’t replicate.”
But if all you’re looking for is a quick emotional reliever, it can be quite beneficial. “In moments of loneliness or late-night panic, AI can be a bridge — a temporary stand-in until human help arrives,” Hussey says. “It’s not that ChatGPT is dangerous per se, but that it’s limited — and knowing those limits is the key to using it wisely.”
What are the drawbacks of using ChatGPT as a therapist?
With all the benefits that come with an easy-to-access AI therapist come extreme drawbacks, too — even “great danger,” says Juliet Annerino, pprofessional Hypnotherapist at Silverlake Hypnotherapy.
Alongside its lack of credibility (you know, being a robot and all), Annerino warns that it can also lead to an addiction to a perceived personality, something that experts rarely talk about. “The fact that an AI chatbot is more likely to seem ever-patient, ever-understanding, ‘non-judgmental’ and supportive no matter what, could easily lead any vulnerable individual into habitual use, dependency, and yes, even addiction,” Annerino says. “The clever addition of a ‘sense of humor,’ including human-like intonations and even laughter, and the apparent ‘interest’ via the asking of ever-deeper and continuous questions from the AI entity adds to the illusion that one is conversing with an actual human who cares about them, and not an AI program which does not have the capacity for human compassion.”
If you’re someone who is confiding in MindMate more often than those around you — whether that be family, friends, or a therapist — it’s important you recognize the isolation that ChatGPT could be encouraging. Isolation in an individual could persist when the person begins to prefer the company of an AI “friend” more than a real, human connection, says Annerino: “What seems at first so refreshing and extraordinary about relying on an AI chatting entity for emotional support could be its greatest danger.”
So, is telling a robot your deepest, darkest secrets really the way to go? Honestly, I think that’s a question up for interpretation. After trying it out for myself, I can say that it’s something I see myself doing again — but it’s OK if you don’t.
The biggest takeaway here is that you should not confuse AI and therapy, because they aren’t the same thing. While it can provide a one-and-done vent-and-listen session, it can’t sit down with you every week, lock eyes and attentively listen to you, nor diagnose you and help get you the treatment you need.
But, hey. If you’re like me and are just really in the mood to spill all the juicy details of your love life to a robot that could one day turn into a monster and use it against you, then by all means, go for it.
If you or someone you know is seeking help for mental health concerns, visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) website, or call 1-800-950-NAMI(6264). For confidential treatment referrals, visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) website, or call the National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP(4357). In an emergency, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK(8255) or call 911.