More women are turning to ChatGPT for emotional support, using the AI chatbot as a stand-in therapist as mental health systems buckle under pressure. With long wait times and soaring costs, AI is filling a growing gap.
Mental health care is harder to access than ever. In the UK, NHS data shows patients are eight times more likely to wait over 18 months for mental health treatment than for physical health. Private therapy isn’t always an option either, with sessions costing £60 or more.
In that vacuum, ChatGPT has become a surprising outlet.
Real voices, real feelings
Charly, 29, from London, turned to ChatGPT while grappling with her grandmother’s terminal illness:
“It’s been so helpful to ask the crass, the gruesome, the almost cruel questions about death… the things I feel twisted for wanting to understand.”
Ellie, 27, from South Wales, said it helped her feel seen when no one else was around:
“It didn’t have full context to my life like my therapist does, but it was accessible and non-judgmental in times of crisis.”
Julia, 30, in Munich, used it when her therapist was booked up. The responses felt similar to a therapy app:
“I was surprised at how good the answers were… but it was too practical. My therapist challenges me. ChatGPT didn’t do that.”
Photo by M. on Unsplash
What AI can and can’t do
ChatGPT offers instant, always-available support. It’s private, non-judgmental, and often comforting. But it lacks emotional nuance, lived context, and the tough questioning that drives real therapeutic growth.
AI isn’t a replacement for trained professionals, but for many women stuck in limbo, it’s become a digital lifeline.
The bigger issue? People are asking robots for empathy because the human systems keep failing them.
