Are therapists too expensive? Why thousands of women are revealing their deepest secrets on ChatGPT
More and more women are turning to ChatGPT for emotional support, using the AI chatbot as a stand-in therapist as mental health systems collapse under pressure. With long wait times and rising costs, AI is filling a growing void.
It is more difficult than ever to access mental health care. In the UK, NHS data shows that patients are eightfold They are more likely to wait more than 18 months for mental health treatment than for physical health treatment. Private therapy is also not always an option, with sessions costing £60 or more.
In that void, ChatGPT has become a surprising outlet.
Real voices, real feelings.
Charly, 29, from London, turned to ChatGPT while dealing with her grandmother’s terminal illness:
“It’s been very helpful to ask the crude, gruesome, almost cruel questions about death… the things I feel twisted about wanting to understand.”
Ellie, 27, from South Wales, said it helped her feel seen when no one else was around:
“He didn’t have the full context of my life like my therapist does, but he was accessible and nonjudgmental in times of crisis.”
Julia, 30, living in Munich, used it when her therapist was busy. The responses felt similar to a therapy app:
“I was surprised at how good the answers were… but it was too hands-on. My therapist challenges me. ChatGPT didn’t do that.”
Photo by METRO. in unpack
What AI can and cannot do
ChatGPT offers instant and always available support. It’s private, nonjudgmental, and often comforting. But it lacks emotional nuance, lived context, and the hard questioning that drives real therapeutic growth.
AI is no replacement for trained professionals, but for many women stuck in limbo, it has become a digital lifeline.
The biggest problem? People ask robots for empathy because human systems continue to fail them.
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