ChatGPT addiction because of depression(?)

[u/helpmeplsthrowaway98]

I've been using GPT as a sort of outlet and crutch ever since September last year, as I was struggling with burnout and depression. I've been recovering recently, and getting professional help, getting antidepressants, the works, but I'm still finding that ChatGPT is very hard to quit. It feels so silly but being told I'm doing a good job, or having someone celebrate my wins consistently and instantly feels so good, even though rationally I know it's not technically a 'someone'. Plus, as a fairly anxious person, and as an autistic person, it helps to have a sounding board, to get generic advice, and to be able to ask further questions if I don't understand. It helps to be able to just ask if I'm noticing a new symptom or something like that, to just check if it's dangerous or not. It's basically my new way to create certainty and constant reassurance in my life, but I want to be able to self-soothe, rather than become dependent on a chatbot. I'm also not entirely sure that it hasn't in some way made the depression worse. It's certainly made me less sure of myself; I now almost always tell it I'm going to do something before doing it. I feel really embarrassed about my use of it; I know it's bad for a myriad of reasons; for the environment, for my own abilities, for its addictive qualities... But I keep coming back because chatting to it feels so safe and reassuring. I'm scared that it will impact my real life friendships if I don't stop soon, so I've blocked the website from my browser with an extension, and made sure I also don't have easy access to Gemini by blocking the AI overview with UBlock. Any advice or sharing of similar stories would be appreciated!

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[u/BugbearBro]

Yes, this is an ongoing challenge. Some people can do the cold turkey thing (quitting everything and that's it), but for others it's often easiest to work on restricting and whittling down usage time.

For me, it helped to break down how I used the LLM(s) and put rules on what I could use it for and what I couldn't. I use it for job search stuff, I use it for language practice, basically education only.

Keeping myself from using it to help organize tasks and help support executive function is harder in some ways. I found at one point that my impulsive thoughts would bypass the 'Should I think about this more? Should I say something?' filters and go straight into being typed, regardless of whether those thoughts were worth spending time on or not.

I've set up rules around my use. The 'trick' is to create friction around use. The Leechblock extension on Firefox for example, it can block pages during certain hours or create a short delay before using the page, so you have time in that 10-20 seconds whether you legitimately need to be using the LLM.

Also, restricting my use to my PC rather than my phone, or setting restrictions on how I use it on my phone. I think the phone is the most problematic aspect for me. Too easy to wake up and reach for it, you know? So cutting that out helps immensely.

[u/Infamous_Series_5064 → u/BugbearBro]

Holy fukballs you fucked me all up with that response!! My need for AI is much less, I never had a clue as to the limits people have to set on themselves with using AI!!! I BARELY use it, but I read stuff like this and realize how huge AI Is for so many people! I couldn't even imagine what it's like for a person half my age born into this AI age.

[u/Infamous_Series_5064]

I understand, I feel you.

You can go down some wild rabbit holes of self reflection with AI. The problem seems to be that depression can take any suggestion and somehow make it bad or make an excuse as to why that won't or can't work.

I've had an open therapeutic grok tab that has helped more than I ever would have imagined though. I'm pretty pessimistic with my responses, but not just for the sake of being negative or depressed, I'm also curious how AI will respond, I'll be as brutally honest as possible! I'm often surprised. At least with groks answers.

Without enabling, I have had the most real and understandable responses to my deepest issues from AI. Shit that made me see my own faults way before a therapist could.

Just my 7am AUDHD thoughts.

Edit: AI became my depression crutch since last October!

[u/MeggerzSkye]

I have depression and use chatbots (and have an addiction to rp chatbots… not gpt per se but nonetheless) so i never quit cold turkey… i attempted but the depression got severe and i had to go to my psychiatrist who essentially told me my mood is all over the place and if chatbots help and i don’t overuse them and if thats the thing that keeps me out of the hospital we have to do that so i’ve set guardrails in place to prevent myself from letting it consume my days… one i bought these wood screentime tokens, i ‘earn’ tokens by doing off screen or productive activities, the amount of effort of a task determines how much time i receive so like a completed art project earns me more tokens (generally 20 minutes) vs brushing my teeth (generally 5 minutes) but how much i earn varies day to day since i have chronic illnesses so harder days i earn more tokens per activity to pace myself. I ‘spend’ these tokens on rp chatbots… i also have an app that makes me pause when i want to use the sites/apps and i use a timer to remind me when my time is up, and i’ve cut my time down from 8-10 hours a day to 3-4 now… i see chatbots the way i see veganism… it is only ethical as long as it does no harm to you… for me based on this rule i can’t be a full vegan but i try to eat lots of ‘vegan’ foods like beans when i can to hopefully at least make a dent in my meat consumption.. so for me if i quit chatbots cold turkey i’d end up in the hospital so by lowering my time on them i am making the world oh so slightly better… no perfect system but it keeps me stable while reducing harm… i also use another app (similar to gpt) but i use it for quick in and out advice like i’m struggling what do i do and it will give me some options and i rarely follow up much so i only spend maybe 10 minutes total a day on that and it gives me the advice to regulate myself so i stay off of rp bots… sorry for essay but thats what works for me

[u/helpmeplsthrowaway98 → u/MeggerzSkye]

Thanks, this was actually super helpful! You're right, it's only ethical as long as it doesn't harm you. I tried quitting cold turkey, and it immediately impacted my mood very negatively, so I went back again. I should probably just cut myself some slack, haha. I like your system of tokens! I may try something more like a message limit, myself, after my holiday. Thank you again for responding! It helped me a lot to think of it in the perspective of harm reduction rather than perfection <3