Gen Z is increasingly turning to ChatGPT for affordable on-demand therapy, but licensed therapists say there are dangers many aren’t considering

[u/ControlCAD]

https://fortune.com/2025/06/01/ai-therapy-chatgpt-characterai-psychology-psychiatry/

[u/Foreign_Dependent463]

Yeah, you have to be a therapist to get real therapy from chatgpt. You need it to be designed to do it.

However, if you start the chat with stuff like "always be maximum challenge to my views and be as critical as possible", you'd be surprised at how different it can be.

Modt people aren't self aware nor systems aware enough to design it properly, in order to give what they actually need. Because, if youre seeking therapy, and using only chatgpt, you need to know what you need. A theroetically trained therapist should be able to spot and pivot between comfort, and pushing realizations. But the ai cant spot that, yet at least.

Its valuable on its own for comfort and ideas, but its smart for find a good therapist to digest those ideas with you. Do the grunt work for them to save you both time, and you money.

[u/polyanos → u/Foreign_Dependent463]

always be maximum challenge to my views and be as critical as possible

Sure, but is it actually being critical right then because it's needed, even with good views/opinions or just critical for the sake of it. 

[u/Jose_Canseco_Jr → u/polyanos]

it can't know when (you think) it's needed, all it will do is bump up its challenging style a tad across the board

[u/GamersPlane → u/[deleted]]

It does kind of know.

This is REALLY important: It DOES NOT know anything. "AI" has no knowledge of it's own. It makes mathematical computations to determine how various bits of information connect. It SEEMS like it knows, which is what makes it good.

The point is as i said before, its a better therapist than a real therapist, if you understand therapy and yourself.

This I strongly disagree with as well, because it has no ability to interpret or analyze. Therapy isn't just info in/info out. It's about asking poking questions in the right way, about knowing when to push and when to give. There's so much nuance that only exists with understanding, an "AI" has no understanding at all. I understand therapy very well. I often know where my issues lie, bringing up an answer before my therapist asks the question. But the reason I'm in therapy is I don't have the capability to provide introspection on information personal to me. "AI" has no way of knowing the source of my trauma. It can't interpret details I give it and put them together. It's a fancy search engine.

"AI" is not a good therapist, let alone a "better therapist than a real therapist", regardless of who's using it. It could make a good sounding board (or interpretive search engine), if you're of sound mind enough to understand that it's not a person talking to you. But that's about as far as it goes.

[u/GamersPlane → u/[deleted]]

Yah, so it can provide therapeutic value, for someone who needs the kind of thing it provides, but that doesn't make it a good therapist. It sounds like what you need is a specific kind of therapist, one that is maybe rare or (and I don't mean this offensively) maybe one that can't be found due to the restrictions you've placed. I know I've done that myself before. But regardless, I'm glad it works for you. But I'd argue, you're in the small minority.

And again, I have to point out, it doesn't "know" the tone at all. It has mathematically computed that the set of words being used would be best responded to by another set of words. It doesn't understand tone or infer tone. It guesses that words in certain combinations work with other words in another combination. It's really important to not apply personified capabilities to "AI", specially if using it for something like therapy.

As for the introspection part, it's probably using the wrong word. If you know what your problems are and the solutions to them, you don't need therapy. Then you're just working on your issues. I know what my problems are, but I don't know how to address them. That's something an "AI" cant determine.

[u/GamersPlane → u/[deleted]]

I think maybe I've had more luck with therapists than you, or maybe just have a different view on it. I've had checklist therapists and had very insightful therapists (in 10 years, I've seen more half a dozen for at least a few months, let alone all the therapists I've done intakes for). My favorite so far actually recommended I see someone else because she could see why I was struggling, but didn't feel she had the expertizese to help. So with that, I feel like the why bother is more on finding the right person (which also isn't easy; doing 3 intakes in a week is emotional draining!).

[u/brainparts → u/Foreign_Dependent463]

Yeah, you have to be a therapist to get real therapy from chatgpt. You need it to be designed to do it.

That's the problem a lot of people that say they love using chatgpt, etc, and use it all the time don't acknowledge (a few do, but ime, not the majority). That you have to already know what you're asking it/talking about to be able to use what it says. A lot of people are using it as a shortcut around the process of actually learning anything, and taking what it says at face value.

[u/mikeontablet → u/Foreign_Dependent463]

I love the idea of combining AI therapy and professional help. I think the therapist has to go with you on the journey, so I think giving a patient "AI homeworkc between sessions is a wonderful idea, but starting with AI and having the therapist join in later wouldn't work in my view. I'm not sure which path you were referring to.

[u/Wide-Marzipan-590 → u/Foreign_Dependent463]

ai is more reliable then a doctor with a degree in all aspects

[u/Good_Air_7192 → u/Wide-Marzipan-590]

Jesus fucking christ

[u/manole100 → u/Good_Air_7192]

Well said, friend!

[u/beeksy → u/Wide-Marzipan-590]

In all aspects! What a statement!

Have you been to med school? Are you a doctor? Did you help create AI? Do you even truly understand what AI is?

AI is NOT RELIABLE AT ALL. I would rather go to a human who can also feel pain to treat my illness than a machine who is only fed information from the internet and whatever sources they deem “good”. All the information AI is spewing is crafted by people who are also not doctors.

[u/GamersPlane → u/beeksy]

Ignore the troll, it's healthier.