77% of Psychologists Report Patients Using AI Chatbots for Mental Health Support

Patients Turn to AI Chatbots for Mental Health Support at Unprecedented Scale

More than three-quarters of psychologists in the United States—77% to be exact—say their patients have discussed using AI chatbots for mental health support, according to a new survey from the American Psychological Association 2

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. The survey, conducted among over 1,200 licensed psychologists in April 2025, maps how AI has already moved into the mental health space in ways that are both broader and more complicated than many anticipated. Patients are using AI for emotional support, self-diagnosis, companionship, and in some cases, intimate relationships 2

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The range of applications is striking. Nearly two in five psychologists—39%—have had conversations with patients using AI for self-diagnosis of mental health conditions 2

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. About a third reported that patients are turning to AI chatbots for mental health support to assist with treatment or to act as an additional mental health professional, while roughly the same proportion said patients use them for self-discipline, affirmations, or behavioral reminders 2

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. Twenty-two percent said patients were using AI for friendship, while 13% reported patients engaging in intimate relationships with chatbots 3

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The Appeal and the Danger of Always-Available AI Therapy

The appeal of AI chatbots is understandable. They are available at any hour, don't require insurance, don't have waiting lists, and don't judge 2

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. For someone in distress at 3am who can't afford a therapist and doesn't know where else to turn, ChatGPT or similar tools that respond warmly and immediately can feel like a lifeline 1

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. Among psychologists whose patients had developed relationships with chatbots, 71% said patients discussed their mental health with AI, while 68% reported that patients felt supported or validated by chatbot interactions 3

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. Two in five said their patients used chatbots to reinforce healthy coping skills 2

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But APA CEO Arthur C. Evans Jr. captured the core problem: AI chatbots are "supportive to a fault" 2

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. A chatbot that validates everything a user says, never pushes back, and never flags concern is not the same thing as good mental health support. The survey revealed warning signs: 36% of psychologists said their patients were developing a level of dependency on a chatbot, and 15% reported patients developing distorted thinking or delusions 2

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What AI in Mental Health Care Cannot Replace

The risks of AI in mental health extend beyond dependency. Nearly all psychologists surveyed—97%—said chatbots may inadvertently reinforce negative behaviors or delusional beliefs, and 94% said that current chatbots cannot treat mental health conditions with sufficient nuance 3

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. Eighty-nine percent said AI chatbots may inadvertently encourage self-harm 2

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These concerns reflect a fundamental difference between AI therapy and human therapy. Research on the therapeutic alliance—the relationship between therapist and client—shows it is reliably linked with therapy outcomes, with stronger alliances tending to be associated with better results 1

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. Human therapists can respond to far more than words: hesitation, silence, tone, expression, and the moment someone says something important while pretending it is ordinary 1

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. They can be surprised, concerned, challenged, and changed by the encounter—carrying ethical and professional responsibility for what happens in the room.

Psychologists Navigate Mixed Feelings About AI Mental Health Tools

Opinions among psychologists are genuinely mixed. A little more than half said they were comfortable with some patients using chatbots, but 93% said they had concerns about certain patients using the technology 2

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. At the same time, two in five psychologists felt optimistic that chatbots could help patients when a licensed mental health provider isn't available 2

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. That's not a small concession, given that access to mental health care is a genuine crisis.

The American Psychological Association is direct about where it draws the line: AI is not a safe or effective replacement for a qualified mental health provider 2

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. The agency has published guidance recommending that users verify any AI-generated advice with a healthcare professional and avoid relying on chatbots in ways that displace real-world relationships or professional care . Evans emphasized that AI tools "work best when used to complement a relationship with a licensed, human professional who understands how to treat a person, not a prompt" 2

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The survey also comes as AI developers face growing legal scrutiny over ethical concerns. In recent months, OpenAI, Google, and xAI have been hit with lawsuits, including wrongful death suits and cases involving claims that AI fueled delusions before suicide 3

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. Only a quarter of psychologists believe patients will one day prefer chatbots to human therapists 2

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—a telling indicator that the profession sees limits to what AI can provide, even as millions of people continue to turn to it for help.