A consumer walking into a therapy session has likely already talked through their problem. But not with a friend – with a chatbot. Psychologists are hearing about this directly from the people they treat. In a national survey – Patients Are Bringing AI To Therapy: Highlights From The 2026 Chatbots And Mental Health Survey – 77% said consumers they treat brought up their use of AI mental health support.

Self-diagnosis came up most often, with 39% of psychologists saying consumers had used AI to diagnose themselves. The other uses landed in a tight band: acting as an additional mental health professional (35%); providing self-discipline, affirmations, or behavioral reminders (34%); and assisting with treatment (33%). Some use goes further, with psychologists reporting they had consumers who used chatbots for friendship (22%) and for intimate relationships (13%).

Psychologists’ read…