Key Takeaways
- Although ChatGPT is no substitute for therapy or relationships, it can be used responsibly and is something to consider keeping in your mental health toolkit.
- ChatGPT can be a resource for mental health education and a great organizational tool.
- It can help you with the practical side of mental health management, like journal prompts and meditation ideas.
Love it or hate it, ChatGPT—and AI in general—is a part of our lives, and likely will be for the foreseeable future. While you may not think of ChatGPT as an asset to mental health, there are some surprising ways to use it to support your mental health and well-being.
Can ChatGPT Actually Help Your Mental Health?
“Overall, ChatGPT can be a valuable (supplemental) tool in mental health support as long as we are mindful of its limitations,” says Mikki Lee Elembaby, PsyD, at a Manhattan-based practice, Clarity Therapy.
These limitations include not using ChatGPT in place of therapy or real human connections. “In the realm of mental health, I find that ChatGPT is most useful as a stepping stone,” Dr. Elembaby emphasizes.
As Dr. Elembaby describes, ChatGPT can provide general mental health information while also guiding people toward more comprehensive, personalized support like therapy or a mental assessment. It can also point users to supplemental and helpful resources, such as books and websites.
Specifically, ChatGPT can be a great organizing tool, can help you shape your thoughts, and offer you general guidance about mental health and mental health coping strategies, shares Michelle English, LCSW and executive clinical manager at Healthy Life Recovery. It’s also useful for things like “understanding emotions, learning about self-care, or even scripting difficult conversations,” English says.
1. Help With Journaling
Journaling has been shown to be an excellent way to manage mental health challenges. But it’s not always easy to know what to say when you are faced with a blank page, especially if you are feeling mentally and emotionally overwhelmed.
“ChatGPT can give you prompts/help you organize what you’re feeling so you can get your thoughts out in a way that makes sense,” English says. “This way you can look back on your journal entries without having to sift through jumbled or confusing thoughts—and it’ll be much easier to track patterns, progress, and triggers.”
2. Organizing a ‘Brain Dump’
ChatGPT can be a great resource for time management skills, including task initiation, organization, and prioritization, says Dr. Elembaby. “For my clients who are diagnosed with ADHD and struggle in this area, I suggest that they use ChatGPT to ‘brain dump’ all their tasks for the week before deciding on where to start,” she recommends.
After everything is dumped this way, ChatGPT can help you organize and prioritize these tasks across different days of the week, making your to-do list less daunting.
3. Providing Psychoeducation
Psychoeducation is an approach used in therapy where a client learns about the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatments for whatever mental health challenge they are dealing with. Gayle Clark, LCSW, a clinical social worker at A Braver Space who specializes in treating emotional abuse, says that ChatGPT can be a great psychoeducation resource.
“ChatGPT can provide a neutral, accessible, and immediate sounding board for those who are struggling with their mental health,” she explains. “It can provide immediate psychoeducation—identifying trauma responses, mental health symptoms, or exploring other treatment options.”
4. Brainstorming Coping Strategies
When you are living with a mental health challenge, identifying the best ways to cope with and manage your symptoms may feel overwhelming. Likewise, you may be looking for fresh ideas for things like meditation and mindfulness exercises, or even something like a mental health mantra.
ChatGPT is “an excellent tool for brainstorming coping strategies,” Clark notes. “It can provide tailored mindfulness exercises, journal prompts, or other activities that can promote mental health and resilience.”
5. Organizing Your To-Do Lists
In addition to organizing a “brain dump,” ChatGPT is a great way to generally organize your to-do list. “When your mind feels all over the place, it can be hard to figure out what needs to get done first,” English says. “ChatGPT can help you sort through your tasks, prioritize them or even break them down into smaller steps so they feel more manageable.”
This way, you’re not just sitting there, completely overwhelmed, with no idea of where to start.
6. Creating Responses for Communicating With Difficult People
ChatGPT is an excellent tool for making communication with difficult or abusive people less emotionally charged, says Clark. “A common abusive tactic is flooding a victim with messaging, personal attacks, and trying to pull the victim into an endless ‘discussion,’” Clark describes.
ChatGPT helps you craft concise responses to this without overthinking what you are trying to say or getting too caught up in the emotional turmoil of the moment. “Using ChatGPT’s lack of humanity to our advantage, I will suggest to clients that they prompt it to develop a short and concise response to any messages,” Clark says.
7. Gathering Info Between Therapy Sessions
Sometimes your therapist may recommend that you do a little research between therapy sessions. They may also suggest watching a specific movie, reading a book, or listening to a podcast. ChatGPT can be used similarly. “I recommend it as a tool for use between sessions for information gathering, just as I would recommend a client use Google to search for meditations or podcasts that can fit their needs,” Clark says.
Why ChatGPT or AI Can’t Replace
All of the therapists we spoke to underscored that ChatGPT should not be used in place of therapy. This is because ChatGPT is not a trained therapist and will miss many of the nuances of communication that occur in the therapy setting.
ChatGPT and other AI platforms are not designed to provide therapy, nor should they be used for that purpose. “Even AI tools that are meant to provide therapeutic support can sometimes give incorrect or misleading information, which may cause confusion or negative and even dangerous consequences,” says Dr. Elembaby.
Additionally, the information you share with ChatGPT is not protected by privacy protections like HIPAA the way it is in therapy. Finally, ChatGPT can’t diagnose a mental health condition, provide accurate or reliable treatment information, or take into account a person’s unique circumstances, says Dr. Elembaby.
The Importance of Human Care
The bottom line is that ChatGPT is not a human. It shouldn’t be used as a substitute for therapy, nor should it be used as a substitute for human connections and friendships. “When it comes to friendships and human connection, ChatGPT simply cannot replace the emotional depth of human relationship,” Dr. Elembaby says.
“There are some things in life that only a close friend can provide, such as a dose of tough love, a reality check, or simply a hug.”
If you are struggling with your mental health, you shouldn’t rely on ChatGPT as the main way to cope. Everyone who is experiencing a mental health challenge can benefit from care from a licensed therapist. If that’s you, please reach out to your primary care provider for a referral, or contact a licensed therapist near you directly.
Get Help Now
We’ve tried, tested, and written unbiased reviews of the best online therapy programs including Talkspace, BetterHelp, and ReGain. Find out which option is the best for you.
