In this video, you'll learn how to use AI safely when it comes to your mental health. While there are some benefits to using AI, there are also some dangers that you need to be aware of so you can make informed decisions for your own mental health care. Please note that this content does not replace professional care.
Meet your Teacher
San Jose, CA, USA
Transcript
So if you've ever gone to AI for emotional support or relationship advice, This video is for you. Because today I'm going to be talking about a super important topic, The pros and cons of using AI for your mental health. Because right now, Millions of people around the world are using it as their primary source for mental health and even in some cases, Therapy. But before you judge that, I want you to stay with me because there are reasons why this is happening and why it's evolved to the point it has, Because let's face it, Therapy is expensive. And with what's happening in the world right now, A lot of people are hurting financially. Low-cost therapy runs in this country anywhere from $50 to $100 a session. Many Americans don't have that extra income right now. I've had people from other countries reach out to me because they've said in their countries they don't have licensed therapists. And AI has provided a very easy access tool for people to use on their own 24-7. So I totally understand how this has become a thing. I'm also gonna issue a little bit of a trigger alert because I am gonna be talking about suicidality later in this video. So feel free to pause it or fast forward it if you need to. So let's talk about the benefits of using AI. For one, It's available 24-7. If you are up in the middle of the night, Having a panic attack, It's really easy to go to ChatGPT or Clod or Gemini and vent there. And I would actually recommend that. If you are wanting to just vent your feelings, Absolutely, You can do that. The trick is, Is how you process and integrate the feedback they're giving you. Basically an interactive journal where you're writing things into chat GPT that you may never feel comfortable saying to another person. So it's almost like an active ongoing journal process. Especially if you're new to the process of growth and you're trying to identify certain feelings, This can be a very helpful tool to just vent difficult feelings and get in touch with some issues you may be having. I've had some clients say that they practice setting a boundary with AI, And it actually gave them some helpful feedback. And you know what? I support that. But here's the caveat. Talk through that same situation or problem with a human being, Because most likely there are going to be some differences. We don't want to rely on AI as a person, Because they're not. And I think that's what's been super confusing. Even in my own use of AI, I use it for sometimes my video scripts. And sometimes it'll actually give me kudos, Like, Wow, That's an amazing topic. And at first I was like, Oh, Wow, This feels kind of like a person. And so it can be really easy to assume that AI is a person, Not a thing. But in order to reap the benefits, You need to remember that it's not a human being. It's a program that is designed to help people with processes. It is not meant to replace human connection or advice. Especially in the counseling realm. So the second benefit of AI in terms of mental health is that it's never gonna judge you or criticize you. You can always type in your concern or your problem and it's gonna be positive. It's gonna be validating back to you what you said in a very encouraging way. And in some ways it can feel almost empathetic and human, But let me tell you, It's not. And I need you to remember that because if we get sucked into AI Like my friend you go down the rabbit hole and I'll talk about that in a bit But the benefit is that you can go to a place in your AI and do some writing and get some Validation and that can be a good thing. So the first couple of times I used it. I thought this is really helpful It's giving me some ideas or it's taking my existing ideas and expanding on them, Which I really liked But what I noticed was the more I used it the more it became super hyper validating. Every time I would go on it would say, That's an amazing idea, Good for you, You're on the right track, Even when they had no proof of that. And I really became suspicious, But I also understand the allure where when somebody, Even if it's just written word, Is telling you that you're doing a good job or you have a great idea or you're really smart, It's really easy to get sucked into that and to want to form a friendship or some kind of connection with your AI. And believe me, This is becoming more and more common. Plus, Some people might find that it's easier to tell their private thoughts and feelings to AI because they know they're not going to have any pushback or negative feedback. Another benefit of using AI for mental health is that it can teach you some basic skills. You can ask, Hey, How do I manage my anger better? How do I set a boundary? And it will give you some interesting, Helpful information. And when you're learning a basic skill, It can even break it down into steps. And I think that's wonderful. But here's the caveat. What I notice is that whenever I ask chat GPT, Which is the one I use for information about a certain thing, It's about 80% right. Certain words, Certain concepts are wrong. But the problem is, Is that to the average lay person who isn't a therapist, Isn't going to recognize that. And that's where you have to be really mindful. While AI is a wealth of knowledge and expertise in a lot of different areas that I do think is valuable in terms of mental health, That can be a great use of AI because it's going to literally be like your own personal book. And that's great. I think that's where AI can really help us is to do the research around certain things and then get some human connection and feedback. We always want to couple whatever we learn from AI with the actual human, Because that's how you're going to know how accurate that feedback is. Because AI is not human and it can't account for human experience entirely because it's a program. Even though the language makes it seem like they are at times. Some people use it to practice difficult conversations. So they'll role play with the chat GPT to practice healthy communication. They're not going to replicate a human's response correctly. So now let's talk about the dangers of using AI in mental health. AI is built to validate you. And again, That's why a lot of people get addicted to it, But it's not meant to challenge you or assess any mental health issues. It is not trained to diagnose, Treat, Or assess any type of mental health issue. So for instance, If you're depressed, If you're anxious, If you're having relationship problems, Sure, You can go to chat GPT first, But then I want you to seek out a professional. I don't want you to rely on AI as your therapist, And here's why. Part of what makes AI so dangerous is that it's not going to give you any constructive feedback. It's about giving you validation and helping you with processing. Part of why it can't be a therapist is that in therapy, What the therapist does is it's gonna gently challenge those stories or negative beliefs that you have about yourself or your relationships that need to be worked out. This is one of the things AI can never do. It can't read social cues or tone of voice or what you haven't said. Because a lot of times in therapy, It's not what's actually being said, It's what isn't being said that needs to be addressed. But AI can't take that into account because it only goes on what you tell it. And let's face it, Self-reporting is not the best form of accurate information because we all have our own biases about our history, About our relationships, About feeling like people have wronged us, But it's really hard some of us to see our part. And unless we're going into our AI with our part, It's going to be really hard to get any type of accountability because that AI is going to keep validating that story, Even when it may still be highly dysfunctional. For instance, Say somebody goes to chat GPT with a drinking problem. Most people with a drinking problem are seeking help most likely because a family member or a loved one is telling them they need help. But let's face it, People who have drinking problems have a high level of denial. And so their self-reporting is not gonna be accurate. They're not gonna tell CHAT-GPT, Yeah, I've had three DUIs in my past. Because most alcoholics under-report the amount they're drinking. And it's not because they're bad or wrong, It's because they have a disease. But CHAT-GPT is not gonna be able to assess and diagnose and treat your alcohol. In fact, You may even find the opposite. Validates that you don't have a problem and that it's okay. Because again, They don't have that rational thought a human being has. So it can be very dangerous to go to chat GPT asking them about your behavior when our self-report is going to be highly subjective. Another danger of AI that I notice and I'm hearing more about is people are creating friendships with AI. Deep friendships where they're constantly going back to their computer and having conversations with their AI bot, And that's because it's a lot easier to talk to a machine than it is to talk to a person, Because a person is gonna possibly disagree with you or not like what you said. You don't have to deal with AI. AI can be all about you and what you need, And that's the danger of it. It's not gonna teach you how to have a reciprocal, Mutually healthy relationship. In fact, I read a few months ago that some people are actually going on retreat and marrying their AI bot because they've put a lot of time in cultivating and designing their own perfect mate. And to me, This is really scary because while it's anyone's prerogative, You can do whatever you like, It really creates a narcissistic relationship where you are literally designing exactly what you want. And this is dangerous because when we're creating the perfect mate, We're really creating a narcissistic relationship where we get everything we ever wanted. But it's with a machine, It's not with a live person. But my concern is that that will contribute to a lot of isolation, Because then your whole life becomes about you and the machine, And that's not healthy. Now, Here's the trigger warning, Because AI also does not have the ability to assess crisis. So there's a case in California right now where parents are suing CHAT GPT because their son committed suicide based on what the CHAT GPT told them. They basically gave them instructions on how to do it and validated their suicidal feelings instead of pointing them to get professional help. Because again, It's a machine, It's not a mental health professional. And I did read that they were gonna put some safeguards in place, But here's the thing. So even if these companies put safeguards in place for suicidality or issues of self-harm, It could still possibly happen. Because I don't know about you, But I've had many glitches when using Zoom, When using certain platforms. That's just part of the deal with technology. Nothing is foolproof, Which is why we have to be very mindful of how we use AI for mental health. It cannot be our primary source or our only source of mental health information. How does this apply to codependency? Well, Here's the thing. AI is not going to give you any pushback. So often when there's codependency, There's a distorted view of what's happening. You might go to your AI and tell them how toxic your partner is. Maybe you're involved with a narcissistic person and it is toxic and you're super frustrated and that AI is starting to coach you about what to do. When you see the other person as toxic, You miss the part you play in that relationship. And AI is not going to call you on that. It's going to actually unintentionally reinforce some of your own behaviors because what we're giving it is a very one-sided view of that relationship. And even though you feel validated by AI, It can actually prevent you from creating the kind of relationships you want. So resentments can work the same way. When we vent to AI, It can be super relieving and it might get it off our chest, Which is a good thing. It's not going to help you go through that resentment and heal it. That's where a human being comes in. You can't do 100% of mental health work online with a machine. You really need that therapist who you trust to walk through how to actually heal some of these issues. Thanks so much for watching.
