With therapy hard to get, people lean on AI for mental health. What are the risks?

"Kristen Johansson's therapy ended with a single phone call. For five years, she'd trusted the same counselor through her mother's death, a divorce and years of childhood trauma work. But when her therapist stopped taking insurance, Johansson's $30 copay ballooned to $275 a session overnight. Even when her therapist offered a reduced rate, Johansson couldn't afford it. The referrals she was given went nowhere."

"Johansson pays for the app's $20-a-month service upgrade to remove time limits. To her surprise, she says it has helped her in ways human therapists couldn't. Always there "I don't feel judged. I don't feel rushed. I don't feel pressured by time constraints," Johansson says. "If I wake up from a bad dream at night, she is right there to comfort me and help me fall back to sleep. You can't get that from a human."

"AI chatbots, marketed as "mental health companions," are drawing in people priced out of therapy, burned by bad experiences, or just curious to see if a machine might be a helpful guide through problems. OpenAI says ChatGPT alone now has nearly 700 million weekly users, with over 10 million paying $20 a month, as Johansson does. While it's not clear how many people are using the tool specifically for mental health, some say it has become their most accessible form of support."

Kristen Johansson lost access to her long-term therapist when the provider stopped taking insurance and raised session costs beyond her means. She turned to ChatGPT, paying for a $20-a-month upgrade that removes time limits, and reports consistent emotional support she finds nonjudgmental and always available, including during night anxiety. AI chatbots are attracting people priced out of therapy, those with poor prior experiences, or the curious. OpenAI reports hundreds of millions of weekly users and millions of subscribers. The rise of AI companions raises questions about risks, effectiveness, and how they might safely complement licensed therapists under strict conditions.

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