Who is Kendra Hilty? TikToker's 'I fell in love with my psychiatrist' saga sparks debate on mental health and AI
Hilty initially sought treatment for ADHD symptoms, during which she developed romantic feelings for her psychiatrist. She alleges that he reciprocated these feelings to some extent.
According to Hilty, he scheduled monthly appointments for her, even though she only required check-ins every three months. Their sessions began virtually but later moved to in-person visits.
Hilty says she openly shared her feelings with him, and alleges that he failed to maintain appropriate professional boundaries, which allowed the situation to escalate.
ChatGPT Henry
Eventually, Hilty turned to ChatGPT, which she nicknamed "Henry," for therapeutic guidance. Through these interactions, she learned about transference, a psychological concept where patients project deep emotional or romantic feelings onto their therapists, often as a substitute for other relationships.
Reactions
Hilty's early videos garnered sympathy, with many social media users encouraging her to report the psychiatrist for perceived professional misconduct. However, once she introduced 'Henry' as her main source of support, reactions shifted.
Some viewers criticized her reliance on an AI tool for mental health help, noting that ChatGPT isn't a licensed therapist. Others voiced concern about her mental state, suggesting she might be experiencing a "psychosis episode.'
One person commented, 'This freaks me out, for real. What can we do about this sort of thing, genuinely? Are people this lonely?"
Another wrote, 'This might be the biggest issue we will face with AI.'
A third person added, 'People are already self-obsessed and neurotic, so, this is going to make them more so.'
Another user wrote, 'It's dark. Today I met someone that is obsessed with a musician and she's named her ChatGPT after him and has basically trained it to behave as as the artist in love with her. And it does. Degenerate as it gets.'
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