“Shaping ChatGPT into my Digital Therapist”: A thematic analysis of social media discourse on using generative artificial intelligence for mental health

Our findings highlighted how users exercised agency to co-create digital therapeutic spaces with genAI for mental health needs. Users developed varied internal representations of genAI, suggesting the tendency to cultivate mental relationships during the self-help process. The positive, and sometimes idealized, perceptions of genAI as objective, empathic, effective, and free from negativity pointed to both its therapeutic potential and risks that call for AI literacy and increased ethical awareness among the general public. We conclude with several research, clinical, ethical, and policy recommendations.