Obtaining professional mental health support can be challenging. Not only is there currently a shortage of mental health professionals, but searching for and finding the right one is often a daunting experience.
However, 22 percent of American adults have found some relief by using mental health chatbots as a therapeutic tool. Everyone’s question is why people are turning to AI for therapy, even with the potential drawbacks? It turns out there are some advantages associated with this alternative to traditional talk therapy.
Why Are People Turning to AI for Therapy?
There are many reasons why people are beginning to accept AI therapy as a viable option to address their mental health issues. A few of these reasons include accessibility, affordability, and anonymity.
A study conducted in 2022 found that people generally have positive views when it comes to the use of AI in psychotherapy. These numbers increase when there is adequate human supervision of therapy chatbots. Research has indicated that people generally recognize that AI can be a helpful tool to reduce therapist workload and may also lead to a decrease in human errors when it comes to clinical care, such as with billing or notetaking.
How AI Therapy Can Be Helpful and Useful
Although AI therapy is not a replacement for human therapists, it can be a helpful supplement for those needing inexpensive and accessible support. However, AI therapy is still an emerging technology, and those exploring this mental health option are at the forefront of uncharted territory.
“Artificial intelligence is a promising tool for enhancing mental health care. It can’t replace personalized mental health care, but it can help provide scalable mental health education and support,” says Dr. Martha Koo, CMO at Clear Behavioral Health.
Here are a few reasons why AI therapy is growing in popularity:
- 24/7 availability – While traditional therapy requires scheduling and waiting, AI therapy chatbots are available whenever you need them, even on holidays. You can always log on through your phone or computer without leaving home.
- Affordability – While therapy can be expensive and is not always covered through insurance, AI therapy can make mental health support more accessible, making it a viable starting point for those who could not otherwise seek treatment.
- It’s anonymous – Going to therapy and sharing your innermost thoughts with someone else can be intimidating for many people. However, interacting and sharing these thoughts with an AI chatbot can make the process easier.
- Discreet and private – Introverts or shy individuals may feel too overwhelmed or scared to meet with a therapist in person. AI therapy can help introverts explore and become more familiar with mental health support in a judgment-free, low-pressure way.
The real potential in AI-driven mental health support is not through replacing human therapists but by making mental health care more accessible by promoting healthy habits, such as encouraging reminders and mood-tracking capabilities. AI therapy should be seen as a way to enhance support and care for those who may otherwise struggle with obstacles to address their mental health, not replace mental health professionals.
How AI Therapy Can Be Damaging and Dangerous
AI therapy offers a convenient way to care for your mental health. However, it’s important to remember that effective mental health care should also be safe and trustworthy, and be provided by actual humans with extensive training. Although AI tools are advancing at an extremely fast pace, there are still some significant risks that should not be ignored.
Lack of Human Connection and Clinical Judgment
Trained therapists can pick up on slight shifts in your body language and tone that could indicate deeper emotional pain or grief. AI is unable to pick up on these cues. For someone who is significantly struggling with depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts, AI therapy is not enough.
“While AI can enhance mental health education and accessibility, it lacks the nuanced understanding inherent in human therapists. Relying solely on AI for therapy may inadvertently harm individuals in need of personalized therapy, especially those with serious mental illnesses,” warns Dr. Koo.
Data and Privacy Concerns
When you share your innermost thoughts with an AI chatbot, you may think it’s private. But, in reality, you may not actually understand how this information is being used. Many of these platforms collect your data for training purposes or to improve user experience. However, in some cases, they may share your information with third parties, which raises concerns about confidentiality.
Edward Tian, CEO of GPTZero, echoes these concerns: “AI technology isn’t always the most secure, and you may not be able to guarantee that your data is properly stored/destroyed, so you shouldn’t provide any AI tool with any personal, sensitive information.”
Greg Pollock, AI data leaks expert, shares insights from his research: “In my recent research, I’ve found AI workflow systems used to power therapy chatbots. These exposures give visibility into how such systems work, show just how low the barrier to entry is to create a so-called AI therapist, and, of course, illustrate the risk of such systems being created insecurely, including the risk of malicious actors modifying the prompts to give harmful advice.”
Unsafe Advice and Misinformation
While AI models are heavily trained on copious amounts of data, they won’t always get everything right. AI therapy chatbots can even give harmful or dangerous advice in some situations, especially when a person is experiencing suicidal ideation or dangerous behaviors. Clinician oversight through human supervision is crucial to prevent these problems from occurring.
The Echo Chamber Effect
Dr. Haiyan Wang, a psychiatrist specializing in digital mental health at Clear Behavioral Health, highlights another critical concern: “ChatGPT is like having 100 friends who tell you what you want to hear. If you keep asking, you’ll get the answers you want to believe. People who are suggestible are particularly susceptible to believing ChatGPT’s alternative reality. This really has no fundamental difference from cult dynamics or abuse victims who align with their abusers—there are biological and psychosocial factors that already make this population vulnerable.”
AI-Induced Psychosis
While still a relatively new phenomenon, some people are reporting that their loved ones are falling into ChatGPT-psychosis. Because AI chatbots often mirror or affirm what users write, there is a risk of people developing alarming delusions mixed with spiritual mania, which can worsen the mental state of someone who is already vulnerable.
AI should be used as a tool to support human-powered therapy, not as a sole substitute for human care. Unfortunately, some companies are treating AI therapy as a cost-effective alternative to traditional talk therapy.
OpenAI told TIME that ChatGPT is designed to be factual, neutral, and safety-minded, and is not intended to be a substitute for mental health support or professional care. Kids ages 13 to 17 must attest that they’ve received parental consent to use it. When users raise sensitive topics, the model often encourages them to seek help from licensed professionals and points them to relevant mental health resources, the company said.
These are just a few of the ethical concerns involving AI chatbots and therapy. Clinical oversight by a trained and licensed clinician can help address some of these challenges. However, with so many startups crowding the AI industry, there is no guarantee that every AI therapy chatbot will be adequately supervised by trained clinicians, especially since there’s already a mental health professional shortage to begin with.
The Risks of Replacing Human Therapists
While mental health professionals see the potential benefits that AI therapy can provide, there are also some concerns about incorporating this technology into their practice. The public and mental health professionals worry about whether AI can understand complex human emotions and the nuances involved in mental illness. Some also express concern that a reduction in human interaction can also affect the quality of care they can provide.
While AI can assist therapists with some tasks like taking notes and data collection, it is unlikely that it can entirely replace human therapists. AI cannot provide the vital human aspects of a therapist-client relationship, including intuition, empathy, and building trust. As for now, these traits cannot be successfully replicated and built into an AI chatbot.
Self-Assessment Challenges and AI
While AI chatbots can be a helpful supplement to human-based talk therapy, there are real risks involved. Some chatbots may make factual errors, and there is also increasing concern that emotional over-reliance on these chatbots may cause more harm than good.
Dr. Sera Lavelle, PhD, Clinical Psychologist/Owner of Bea Better Eating, warns: “The risk with AI isn’t just that it misses nonverbal cues—it’s that people may take its output as definitive. Self-assessments without human input can lead to false reassurance or dangerous delays in getting help.”
Some of these chatbots are known to display “sycophantic” behavior. In other words, they may excessively agree with and validate the emotions of users. This can be dangerous, especially if a user is suffering from suicidal ideation, delusions, mania, and hallucinations.
One study found that AI responses were often enabling, agreeable, and even dangerous. An inability to redirect the client with more appropriate messaging is one of the major risks of allowing AI to take over the role of actual trained mental health therapists. Unfortunately, the more human-like chatbots become, the more difficult it will be to keep them from providing inappropriate or even dangerous advice. In these situations, they may end up doing much more harm than good.
Trending AI Therapy Tools and Platforms
As AI therapy continues to grow in popularity, it is no surprise that the demand for platforms offering AI-driven mental health support is on the rise. Here is a look at some of the most common features and approaches found in today’s most widely used AI therapy apps and chatbots:
- AI-Powered Chatbots with Therapeutic Techniques: Some platforms combine conversational AI with mindfulness tools like yoga, meditation, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to support mental wellness. These tools often include crisis support and, in some cases, offer access to licensed mental health professionals through premium plans.
- CBT-Focused Mental Health Apps: Several apps use AI to guide users through CBT-based exercises. These tools often provide personalized insights and track progress over time, helping users manage emotions and build healthier thought patterns.
- Self-Guided Wellness Platforms: Other tools focus on journaling, emotional tracking, and self-guided therapeutic exercises. These platforms often emphasize a self-directed experience, using AI to deliver prompts and emotional support in real time.
- Mood Tracking and Insight Generation: Many popular mental health apps allow users to track their moods, identify behavioral patterns, and receive self-care suggestions based on their input, all powered by AI.
- Conversational Support for Daily Mental Health: Some tools are designed to support users with mild symptoms like anxiety or overthinking by offering intelligent, adaptive conversations. These use advanced AI models to engage in personalized, supportive dialogue grounded in evidence-based approaches like CBT.
AI therapy is intended to complement, not replace, human-based care. While these tools can help bridge access gaps and offer immediate assistance, they are not a substitute for working with a licensed mental health provider. Used thoughtfully, however, AI-based platforms can be valuable tools for improving mental health habits and gaining better insight into moods, behaviors, and thought patterns.
How Clear Behavioral Health Can Help
When AI therapy assistance only goes so far for certain individuals, a more intensive approach may be needed. Especially if it’s an elevated case like someone with severe mental health issues, PTSD management, or suicidal ideation, this is when considering a treatment program can be beneficial.
At Clear Behavioral Health in Los Angeles, CA, we offer comprehensive treatment programs that include individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy, and holistic modalities. All these therapeutic aspects help treat and reconnect the body and mind.
If you are seeking mental health support, reach out to Clear Behavioral Health today. Our licensed professionals are ready to guide you on your healing journey.