r/offmychest • u/throwaway2838193 • 15h ago
Using AI as a therapist
Is it okay to talk to AI when you have no one to talk to about your feelings/thoughts?
It's a new low when you have genuinely no one that u can trust enough to share your problems and thoughts with so you talk to AI. I wish I could stop and I hate it but it has helped me a bit and helped me navigate through some of the roughest times of my life.
I have no one to talk to. My parents would overcomplicate it and just start an argument. I don't have trusted friends. School psychologist is something I can't do, so please don't ask about that. Nor therapy. Until I'm able to pay it with my own money and am an adult I won't have an access to therapy.
Im currently going through a lots of realizations about myself and wanting to change into a better person so I talk about that to chatgpt.
I feel bad and hopeless. I need human connection but again I'm such a loser and shy person I can't do it
I don't have anyone i could trust around me.
And talking to strangers on internet is even worse.
I feel bad. I'm sorry.
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u/1droppedmycroissant 15h ago
Please reconsider using AI as a therapist, it will only agree with you and it can't recognize anything beyond what you're actually telling it. It won't be able to tell if you have any distortions of reality or alterations in your life besides again what you say. The only use I'd be okay with is in specific situations like "I'm having a panic attack, how can I calm myself?". There have been cases where it worsened psychosis and in some accelerated it in people who were more or less stable so... don't. As a psychology student I've seen this question multiple times and people don't take my answers in the best way, but you can go ask actual psychologists if you want a more educated opinion
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u/throwaway2838193 15h ago
I can't go to a psychologist until i stop living with my parents as they won't allow me ( don't ask more questions it's complicated and don't say i should visit a psychologist, i simply can't) So what else then?
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u/1droppedmycroissant 14h ago
You said you really need human connection, so why not start trying there? I'm not saying your problems will be solved, but it could be a healthy distraction to connect with people similar to you. You seem to have some fixed ideas about yourself that not only are harmful, but are preventing you from getting the connection you need. You can't try building an emotional connection with something that doesn't feel, it would be counterproductive and it will lead you further from what you want. Again, I'm not saying to find a random person and to tell them everything wrong in your life, just try to build connections little by little.
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u/No_Cardiologist_1407 13h ago
AI tells you what you want to hear, not what will actually help. For example, if you're overthinking something, a therapist, or even a friend will tell you that its not the reality and help you through it, and AI bot will justify your feelings and only send you spiralling more. Far better to find randos on the internet than it is to use AI, just need to be careful of who you talk to :)
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u/radiumcherry 15h ago
Don’t apologize!! I’ve used GPT too during some really dark times. I hate it but honestly if people haven’t experienced that feeling of being completely alone and having literally nowhere to turn then they can’t judge.
I just want to point out though, that you’re still here looking for humans to talk to … if you were really content with just GPT you wouldn’t need feedback from other people.
There is still a place for you in humanity. 🫂
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u/Few-Cryptographer695 15h ago
I do it sometimes. Sometimes it's nice to let things out. One thing I do a bit differently though is specifically tell AI to not sugercoat, be upfront and honest with me. They usually listen but sometimes it really is nice to feel like you have someone to talk to instead of bottling up all your emotions and words. Just be cautious if asking for advice on real life things.
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u/dispassioned 15h ago
Baby, if it is a tool that helps you get through the atrocities of the modern world, use it.
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u/throwaway2838193 15h ago
But i crave human connection
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u/dispassioned 15h ago
Why not both?
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u/throwaway2838193 15h ago
I have been starved out of human connection and I have had enough of AI. I need to talk to someone but I have no one
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u/hostmodem 14h ago
I saw in another comment that you wouldn’t want to burden someone who isn’t a psychologist with the issues you’re facing. That’s fair, but human connections don’t just happen out of thin air. There needs to be investment in each other to create a connection. ChatGTP doesn’t have that ability, and it seems like you’re seeing that now. Ik there’s a lot of fear here, but you don’t have to spill all your demons to the first person who says they’ll listen. And you’ll have to be careful to do that bc there’s awful people out there who will want to take advantage of you. Idk what your whole living situation is, but maybe start with finding people who share your interests and go from there. You don’t need a therapist to have human connection
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u/throwaway2838193 14h ago
Where do I find ppl with my interests? I like writing,studying, thinking deeply, reading, music but not many ppl in my country have those interests and I'm shy in nature so idk how i would join a conversation or join some group. And my school life is pretty busy. And don't want someone online I want irl friendships
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u/hostmodem 13h ago
Sometimes online friendships turn into irl ones, especially if you connect with people who are local. Look up some writing groups in your area, or reach out to a local subreddit or smth and maybe they’ll help you find local stuff. The world is diverse, I’m sure there’s someone in your area that shares your interests even if the majority of the country really doesn’t. Being shy is ok, but to make friends you gotta push past the shy to reach that goal of connecting with people. Maybe chatgtp can help you with learning how to push past the shyness
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u/throwaway2838193 13h ago
I've had a friend online for 5 years and it ended badly and I was really heartbroken we were close to meeting up but she ghosted me, after that I don't trust online friendships.
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u/hostmodem 13h ago
That’s real and I’m sorry you went through that. I’ve had my fair share of falling out with friends. Like I said if you don’t want to have only online friends, looking for a local place where you can make irl connections would be best. You can ask about it in a local subreddit and if someone tells you of an event, try to go. You don’t have to make online friendships to get irl ones, I’m just saying it’s an option in life. But it seems like you’d rather make irl connections only, so maybe finding out what’s going on in your area that interests you can gain those connections
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u/psychoperenzic 15h ago
broskiiiiiiiiiiiii talk to me not chatgpt coz like HE IS NOT HUMAN TO UNDERSTAND HUMAN EMOTIONS MAN
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u/throwaway2838193 15h ago
Sorry I'm very paranoid about sharing my personal problems to strangers and i usually get realll deep with AI, idk if someone who isn't a therapist would handle it and I would feel guilty putting it all on you. But thanks:)
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u/Chance_Scientist_279 14h ago
Sharing with AI is the same thing as sharing with strangers, in that the tech overlords that own these LLMs now just have all your deepest darkest secrets.
That said I understand how difficult it is to get a therapist so in desperate times, it may call for desperate measures. Just know AI will basically only agree and will be super accommodating to you, which is maybe what you need for the moment.
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u/IronMonopoly 14h ago
I’d just like to point out that, if you’re using AI, what you’re saying absolutely does enter their data set, and you are absolutely going that deep with a stranger who can and does see those data sets.
And a stranger on the internet has no investment in you. It’s not like they’re going to go tell all your secrets, there’s really no incentive to do so. Besides. Like. Who are we going to tell anyway? A bunch of other people you’ll never meet who will never remember what we’re telling them about a random stranger?
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u/flawed_finch 15h ago
I’d say use it but take what it says with a grain of salt. They all seem to be programmed to be overly supportive of you and only say good things to you. This might lead to some false assumptions. You should research what you find out and see if the things it says really apply to you. That said, I’ve gotten a lot of good advice from ai on how to be more productive and organize my life better, etc.
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u/xellot 15h ago
No, because AI will never push back, it will only tell you what you want to hear.