Benefits of ChatGPT for Mental Health
ChatGPT can be helpful for exploring new directions in personal work, discovering new depths, and approaching your work from different angles. Its usefulness depends on your awareness of artificial intelligence prompts, self and environmental awareness, understanding risk, knowledge of beneficial questions, as well as awareness of safety concerns (discussed later). It’s also useful for carers and parents looking for new or structured support ideas.
ChatGPT Can’t Replace a Therapist
ChatGPT is not a replacement for a therapist.
Therapists are trained in clinical mental health interventions and risk assessment. This is essential for establishing safety and creating an evidence-based intervention. ChatGPT is not trained in mental health assessment and intervention. ChatGPT takes a lot of information from blogs and sources that are geared for SEO (search engine optimisation).
Mental Health Risks and Limitations of ChatGPT
ChatGPT can’t take your history, understand your triggers, assess risk, use pacing, consider family dynamics, pick up on nuance, and navigate the plethora of complexities that therapists are trained for. Even if you have some experience in personal work, there’s also a risk of activating a previously unconscious part of yourself. You could re/experience trauma, grief, and attachment injuries without the support of a qualified therapist to support you and help get you unstuck.
How ChatGPT Can Reinforce Harmful Beliefs
Asking ChatGPT questions could also provide responses that reinforce harmful ideas. For example, asking ChatGPT how to manage your anxiety might reinforce the idea that the anxiety is ‘your problem’, where it’s actually caused by coercive control and invisible entrapments of an abusive partner.
Lack of Responsibility in Mental Health and Behaviour
You may ask questions focusing on managing another person’s behaviours, where it’s actually your own shame, resistance, judgements, expectations, and lack of responsibility that need work. You may also unwittingly reinforce an unconscious unhelpful belief, such looking to ‘fix’ yourself because, deep down, there’s a part of you that feels broken and not good enough.
Importance of Prompt Quality
ChatGPT only works as well as your prompts (aka questions). If you ask overly basic questions, you will likely receive an overly general response. Very careful thought and attention need to be considered in framing safe and helpful prompts.
How Can I Use It?
ChatGPT is better for personal growth and problem solving, not for treating mental illness. You can use it to explore ideas, find ways to be creative, look for inspiration, and find resources. See the FAQ below for ideas on how to use AI.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you provide other general recommendations?
- Always consult with a therapist before using ChatGPT for personal work. You may have underlying trauma or mental health issues that contraindicate use.
- Begin using ChatGPT with something you are familiar with about yourself that doesn’t pose a risk of triggering you.
- Consider the environment you’re in. Is it an appropriate time and place (eg: overwhelmed, health anxiety, domestic violence).
- Asking ChatGPT direct therapeutic questions is better suited to those with experience in personal work.
- People with trauma, health anxiety, complex mental health, and beginning their personal work journey would more safely benefit from connecting with a therapist to discuss how to use ChatGPT safely.
- Before using ChatGPT, ask yourself whether you have the willingness, ability, capacity, and supports to enter this question and face the experience that might come from it.
- Don’t use ChatGPT for anything that carries a strong emotional charge. The risks can outweigh the benefits.
- Use ChatGPT’s responses as a guide only. Be mindful that ChatGPT does respond with unhelpful, harmful, or incorrect answers.
- You may need to ask ChatGPT questions in a different way. Educate yourself on using ChatGPT prompts with your therapist.
Final Thought: Use With Care
Don’t be turned off ChatGPT for personal work. It’s a powerful tool that can support you in your mental health work. There are many more issues and caveats not mentioned, so it’s important to consult with a therapist before you delve in. Learn more by chatting with me.
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