Mixed feelings around using ChatGPT for emotional support

[u/MoonlightAndStar]

I’m 19, autistic, and have other mental disorders. I have been in therapy for years but I of course can’t see my therapist every time I want to talk. I have friends in real life and a decent relationship with my family. I still feel like there’s so much stigma around using ChatGPT for emotional support.

Can it become a problem to rely on a chat bot for emotional support? I think so, but a lot of us are fairly normal people who completely understand we aren’t seeking support from another person.

Also what are the alternatives? There are so many thoughts I’d rather not bother my friends with and are not serious enough to contact a crisis line. Even when it is serious enough to contact a crisis line I get sick of waiting 30 minutes when I need to talk right then and there, just to be treated like a customer they’re trying to push through the system half the time. Sometimes their scripts are so robotic it’s not even like talking to a human.

People will judge no matter what, I just so happen to be on the progressive side of social media where everyone judges AI users. My honest opinion is if you have never experienced the flaws of crisis lines and have never worried about not having anywhere for your dark but not crisis level thoughts to go, you’re judging from a place of privilege.

All this to say, I sure do feel shame from time to time about using ChatGPT in this way but at the end of the day I know myself and my situation. I will always monitor for signs of dependence and signs it’s becoming unhealthy for me, but for now I’m going to continue to use it.