They’re Talking to AI Instead of Us
- Gladys Villa
- Mar 24
- 3 min read
Series: Unsupervised
Hot takes, bold truths, and clinical clarity.
ChatGPT may be the largest provider of mental health support in the United States.
That headline? Bold. And dangerously misleading.
It sounds like innovation, but it’s really a mirror-reflecting a society that’s deeply disconnected. Not just from therapists, but from each other.
Let’s talk about what’s really happening beneath the hype.
What AI Offers Mental Health Care and Why It Feels Good
According to a 2024 survey by Sentio, based on self-report and not clinically validated- nearly half of people managing ongoing mental health concerns say they’re turning to AI tools like ChatGPT for support.
Here’s why:
It’s always available (90%)
It’s free (70%)
It helps with anxiety (73%), depression (60%), emotional insight (58%),
loneliness (35%), and more
It gives logical, judgment-free advice- fast
It doesn’t require vulnerability in return
📊 63% say AI improved their mental health
📊 87% found the advice helpful
📊 36% said AI was more helpful than human therapy
Those are big numbers.
But let’s slow down.
The survey included just 499 people, with a mean age of 38. Nearly 80% were White. Nearly 60% identified as women. This is a small, relatively homogenous group not representative of the full population, or the complexity of the mental health landscape.
Still, we can’t ignore the signal:
People are turning to AI because it’s meeting a need. Especially in a system where human help is expensive, overloaded, or out of reach.
But let’s not confuse convenience with care. And let’s not mistake interaction with healing. Or relationship.
The Deeper Problem Isn’t Access. It’s Disconnection
People aren’t replacing therapy with AI.
They’re replacing human contact with it.
They’re not calling a friend.
They’re not showing up in therapy.
They’re typing their pain into a chatbot… and getting logic back.
And here’s the problem: Loneliness is one of the biggest drivers of mental health decline.
🧠 Nearly half of Americans feel lonely
🍽️ One in four eats every meal alone
📉 Loneliness is now as deadly as smoking or obesity
So while AI might ease the shame of reaching out… it also makes isolation feel normal.
It rewards silence.
It replaces presence with performance.
It tells us we’re okay not needing anyone. And that’s a lie.
Gut Check. Are we quietly normalizing disconnection...in the name of innovation?
0%Yes
0%I'm afraid so
0%Not yet but it's close
0%No, its a tool not a replacement
This Is Not Therapy. It's Advice.
Let’s be clear:
AI is not treating anxiety or depression. Those are clinical diagnoses not casual moods.
There’s a big difference between asking:
"How do I set a boundary with my boss?”
and
“I feel hopeless and can’t get out of bed.”
One is a self-reflection moment. The other is a symptom of something deeper.
AI can support emotional insight. But it doesn’t provide clinical containment.
It can give suggestions but not direction. It may offer relief but not resolution.
Therapy is a process.
It’s relational. Messy. Slow. And real.
Therapists don’t just offer advice. We hold space. We push gently. We reflect.
We walk with people toward change.
AI doesn’t do that.
It can’t.
What it offers is logic not presence
An answer not a relationship.
Support? Maybe.
Transformation? Never.
We’ve always had access to this kind of quick advice.
We Called It Community.
📞 Your mom
💬 A stranger at the bus stop
🧓 That one friend who always listens.
We didn't call it therapy.
We didn't call it treatment.
We just called it being human.
Now we call it AI.
And somehow, we think it’s progress.
We’re Not Anti-Tech. We’re Pro-Human.
This isn’t about bashing bots.
And it's definitely not about shaming anyone who's turned to it.
We know why it helps.
We just can't pretend it's the same thing.
This is about telling the truth about what AI can’t do.
But it’s not here to replace the heart of this work-us.
Not our presence.
Not our intuition.
Not our ability to hold, respond, and attune in real time.
Let’s not confuse:
💬 Advice with healing
💡 Insight with change
⚡ Convenience with care
🤖 Interaction with relationship
This work was never meant to be automated.
Because people are lives to engage with, not data to process with algorithms.
If ChatGPT is becoming the “largest provider of mental health support,”
that’s not a celebration.
That’s a crisis!
Not because of what AI is doing, but because of what we’ve stopped doing.
The Work Is Still Human
The real work?
It’s in the room.
With a trained, attuned, human-being. One who sees you. Challenges you. Stays with you.
We don't need to fear AI. But we do need to remember what it isn’t.
Let’s protect what heals.
Let’s stay human.
Want to keep real therapy human?
Share this with someone who still believes in the room.
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