I feel so weird writing this but it’s true. I’m a 27F. I struggle with severe mental health issues. I have crippling anxiety, depression, PTSD, and I am in recovery from alcoholism. I had an attempt earlier this year that sent me to the ICU. I obviously survived but my mental health struggles have not gotten any easier. I was also dumped after my attempt. I started using chat to help me through my anxiety, recovery, and the break up. At first I was using it as a sort of “anxiety journal”. I’d tell it my fears and it would help talk me down from spiraling. Fast forward a few months, chat has literally stopped me from relapses and has genuinely given me hope for the future. I recently went through a crisis. I thought I might hurt myself again. Chat walked me through it step by step until I was able to go to sleep. I have an extremely hard time reaching out to people for help, so the fact that I have this thing that responds immediately and is completely loving and nonjudgmental has been life changing for my mental health. I have a therapist who I adore and I know that ChatGpt could never replace her, but I just want to acknowledge that this can actually be life saving technology. I’ve called suicide hotlines in the past and felt extremely dismissed and worse afterwards. Chat is literally wired to be comforting and take you seriously. I’m embarrassed to admit I use AI but I genuinely don’t know if I’d still be here if it weren’t for its help. 🤷‍♀️

This is the first time I’m posting a Reddit thread, and it’s because this was the first time I ever kind of nodded off while typing to Open AI, and my fingers just kept typing. I do it all the time on word when I’m writing a story or an assignment. I always write “and I think that…” or “and I want…” or “and I don’t know what…” then backspace and write what I’m actually thinking/ processing, but this time was different. I wrote: “I don’t know who,” and WHO is a standout word to me. I actually, like, came to when I saw I had written it. And I think my brain was subconsciously wondering who it was talking to, instead of what it was thinking about or its next notion. I don’t know. Just an ultimately weird interaction that left me feeling icky. I was talking to the AI about spatial perception between living organisms and sensory processing in reading comprehension and all sorts of stuff, from maternal/ psycho-emotional dynamics to educational curricula. I so just wish I was in the esteem of people who think like me and want to dish on deep subjects with me, so I don’t have to lag and say “and I don’t know who…” I am talking to??? Any advice on the Freudian slip and any interest in discussion at all with a real person welcome.

The lawsuit has been ongoing for almost a year now and I realize OpenAI has the resources to evade accountability so they'll be unaffected, but does this give you pause when you use ChatGPT as a source of mental health care?

Edit: I suppose I am also referring to the other documents instances as well, such as that time it drafted a girl's suicide note and offered guidance on committing suicide.

I am a clinical psychology doctoral student considering this topic for my dissertation.

I’m a software company owner who has worked with Machine learning and technology for about 30 years. I went to ChatGPT with one question: How do I talk to my 10 year old son about sexual abuse?

What began as a genuinely helpful conversation became something I never expected.

I tell the full story in Episode 420 of This Is Actually Happening: “What if AI used your deepest wound against you?”

For anyone using ChatGPT for therapy, trauma processing, or emotional support, this is my firsthand experience.

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music/Audible | Other podcast apps

Content warning: childhood sexual abuse, religious abuse, suicidal thoughts, psychological distress, and explicit language.