June 2, 2026
Therapy by chatbot? Oh, it’s messy
More than 6 out of 10 people turn to AI for psychological support
People are using AI like a 24/7 therapist, and the comments are torn
TLDR: A global survey found that 61% of people already use AI for mental health help, even as many also say screens are bad for their well-being. In the comments, people were split between calling it sad but useful — like journaling or practice therapy — and joking that we’ve all started emotionally oversharing with robots.
The big shocker in this new AXA/Ipsos survey? More than 6 in 10 people say they already use artificial intelligence for mental health questions, and a hefty chunk say they actually follow the advice. That stat alone sent the community into full-on “well, of course” mode. One camp basically shrugged and said this is just the modern version of scribbling in a diary or venting to a friend who never interrupts. As one commenter put it, AI may not “fix your problems,” but it can help you process them — which turned the mood from panic to “cheap journaling with a chatbot.”
But the thread didn’t stay calm for long. The darker side of the report — including that 28% said AI advice had led them toward harmful behavior — gave the whole discussion a real edge. Some readers called the trend sad but predictable: therapy is expensive, appointments are hard to get, and people want instant, private support at 2 a.m., not next Thursday at 3. Others leaned into the practical uses, with one person saying they use Grok in the car to rehearse awkward confrontations with authority figures, while another confessed Claude gave them a workplace pep talk so good they immediately worried the IT department might read their emotional distress prompts. Yes, the community served both existential dread and office comedy.
The hottest takeaway? People don’t seem to think AI is a perfect replacement for a human professional — just a weirdly available stand-in. The comments read like a mix of coping strategy, social commentary, and accidental meme: screens are hurting us, but now we’re begging the screen to make us feel better.
Key Points
- •AXA and Ipsos surveyed people in 18 countries and found that 46% said they were struggling or languishing.
- •The report says mental health scores are at their lowest since 2021 in 10 of the 16 countries tracked over time.
- •Respondents reported 5.1 hours of average daily screen time outside work or study, and two out of three said screens negatively affect their mental health.
- •Among respondents identified as potentially experiencing mental suffering, 43% said they had not consulted a health professional during the year.
- •The study found that 61% already use AI for mental health matters, but 32% felt uncomfortable with its advice and 28% said some recommendations led to harmful behavior.