Current Real-World Use of Large Language Models for Mental Health
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There have been growing reports of people using general-purpose large language models (LLMs), like those offered through ChatGPT, for their mental health—but the extent of this use is not known. We conducted a survey of U.S. adults – stratified to ensure proportional representation across age, sex, and race – to quantify such use and understand users’ motivations and perceptions. A striking 24% of surveyed participants use LLMs for mental health. These users are more likely to be young, male, and Black and have poorer mental health and quality of life. They report difficulty accessing traditional mental health treatment – particularly due to cost and insurance coverage – and use LLMs because they are free, convenient, and available when needed. Users rely on LLMs for social and emotional support, to learn therapy skills and tools, and to supplement existing therapy. Non-users of LLMs for mental health expressed doubts about LLMs’ empathy and trustworthiness. Our sample likely overrepresents technology adopters, conservatively adjusting for this based on address-based estimates of population LLM use suggests that 13-17 million US adults may use general-purpose LLMs for mental health. These findings highlight the unmet need in mental health care and the urgency of providing scalable solutions. Though our study suggests widespread interest in using LLMs for mental health, including as part of LLM-human blended care, research should first establish that LLM systems can deliver safe and clinically effective care.
