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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
I mentally unraveled. ChatGPT offered me tireless compassion.
That winter of my high school freshman year, I unraveled. My stress levels skyrocketed. Despite my A-studded report card, I'd stare at an essay prompt for hours, paralyzed. I wasn't showering. I wasn't sleeping. At 1 a.m. or 2 a.m., I'd be awake, bingeing on webtoons. I wanted quick relief. I turned to ChatGPT. If you had asked me two years ago if I would use artificial intelligence for emotional support, I would have looked at you like you were an idiot. But, over time, I often found the only place where I could open up was AI. It has helped me deal with myself in my darkest moments, which shouldn't have been true. But it is. That's why even though I wouldn't recommend using ChatGPT specifically for mental health due to privacy concerns, I have come to think that AI has potential to be a mental support for teens like me, who don't feel comfortable talking to our friends or parents about our mental health. I still remember the time my sister practically begged my South Korean mother for a therapist, she started ranting about how only "crazy people" got therapists. I wasn't making the same mistake. Calling a crisis hotline seemed like overkill. I toyed with the idea of seeing my school therapist but decided against it. It felt too daunting to talk face-to-face with a therapist. Online options weren't much better. I was desperate. What the heck? I finally thought. ChatGPT can answer back, kinda like a therapist. Maybe I should try that out. 'You don't have to justify feeling this way' So I wrote to ChatGPT, an act which in itself felt cathartic. I wrote paragraphs of misspelled words, bumpy capitalization and unhinged grammar, fingers stumbling, writing about everything – how I couldn't stop reading webtoons, how much I hated school, hated life. I wrote in a way I would have only dared to write if only to a chatbot. In response, ChatGPT was tirelessly compassionate. 'I'm sorry you're dealing with that,' it'd start, and just seeing those words made me feel as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Using ChatGPT as your therapist: How to make it work for you Soon, I even told ChatGPT how sometimes I was scared of my dad because of his biting sarcasm – something that I doubt I would have told a therapist about as quickly. ChatGPT responded by explaining that my fear was valid, that harm didn't just come physically but also emotionally. One line struck a chord in me: 'You don't have to justify feeling this way – it's real, and it matters.' Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app? Download it for free from your app store. It hit hard because I realized that's what I wanted to hear from my mom my entire life. To her credit, my mom tried. She'd give her best advice, usually something like, 'get over it.' As an immigrant who couldn't express her feelings in English, she learned to swallow them down. But even though I wanted to do the same, I couldn't. Oftentimes, awake at 2 a.m., I'd feel as if I were rotting. Yet somehow, the first thing to show me emotional intelligence wasn't a person – it was a chatbot. 'Thank you,' I remember writing to ChatGPT. 'I feel a lot calmer now.' Opinion: AI knows we shouldn't trust it for everything. I know because I asked it. Sometimes the best option is the one that's available Of course, there are critics who worry that turning to chatbots for emotional support might foster obsession and even exacerbate mental health issues. Honestly? I don't think artificial intelligence should be a replacement for real mental support systems. But the fear of using AI misses the bigger picture: Many teens don't have access to a "safe place." As of March, President Donald Trump revoked $11.4 billion in funding for mental health and addiction treatment. By July, his administration shut down a suicide hotline for LGBTQ+ youth, leaving countless teens stranded. Opinion: It will cost LGBTQ+ lives to shut down 988 suicide hotline. Unforgivable. According to Dr. Jessica Schleider, associate professor at Northwestern University, about 80% of teens with moderate to severe mental health conditions aren't able to get treatment. The reasons varied, but many reflected my own – not feeling our parents would take us seriously, worrying about stigma or cost. I am also not alone in my use of ChatGPT: 28% of parents report their children using AI for emotional support. Yes, instead of turning to a trusted therapist or adult, these children were finding real comfort in bots. In a 2024 YouGov survey, 50% of participants said the 24/7 availability of these chatbots was helpful for mental health purposes. However questionable, sometimes the best option is to turn to the only resource for teens that is available: artificial intelligence. I know for a fact that it's helped me. I can only hope it can help others. If you or someone you know needs mental health resources and support, please call, text or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit for 24/7 access to free and confidential services. Elizabeth Koo is a student at the Kinkaid School in Houston with a passion for storytelling and a keen interest in culture, technology and education. You can read diverse opinions from our USA TODAY columnists and other writers on the Opinion front page, on X, formerly Twitter, @usatodayopinion and in our Opinion newsletter. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ChatGPT for therapy? It was my best option – and it worked | Opinion
Geek Girl Authority
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Girl Authority
5 Tyrants That WEBTOON Made Me Fall in Love With
Historical fiction with dukes, lords and ladies has been popular for decades. With the rise of Webtoons, we are seeing a particular historical fiction genre rise. These historical fictions mix dukes and lords with magic, fictional faraway lands and isekai. It's a perfect blend of fantasy, historical fiction and romance. The tell-tale signs of one of these comics start with an almost always reincarnated or reborn female lead and a tyrant she is destined to be with. However, there are exceptions to this rule. Sometimes, the genders are switched for these, where both are reincarnated, or no one is reincarnated. The most constant element is that at least one of the love interests is a misunderstood tyrant. RELATED: Saturday Morning Webtoons: Inarime and Vixen: NYC Nobody understands them except their love interest and me. I know them and love them to absolute pieces. Here are five tyrants that WEBTOON made me fall in love with. Calcion Landbird – Charming the Duke of the North How do we describe the tyrant in this webtoon? No one says it better than the author in the first chapter. 'A cold-hearted man … with looks that kill!' Charming the Duke of the North features Calcion Landbird as the duke and Rin as the reincarnated female lead. The catch in this webtoon is that Calcion desperately needs someone to pretend to be his lover, and Rin happens to be a successful actress back in the modern world. Donning the name Selina, Rin acts the role of a seductress who seduces the duke. It's just acting, right? RELATED: Saturday Morning Webtoons: Just Pancakes and Bad Signs While he may be a competent ruler and leader, he is entirely helpless in the show they are trying to pull off and leans on Rin for a lot of support. Her acting defends him from nobles, maids and whatever may come their way. Seeing this supposedly cold-hearted man at the mercy of a modern-day actress is indescribably precious. Every time Rin skillfully plays her part as the seductress, the duke gets completely flustered, showing his inexperience for such an esteemed duke. Duke Zeronis – The First Night With the Duke The First Night With the Duke stars Ripley, a modern gal reincarnated as a side character in her favorite novel. She swears not to let the plot deviate and to enjoy her days in this fantasy world, but accidentally gets drunk and seduces the two love interests. OOPS. The main love interest is the tyrant Duke, Zeronis. RELATED: 10 More Creative Women Behind Incredible WEBTOON Series Zeronis is the complete opposite of Calcion when it comes to romance. This guy isn't here to get flustered; he does the flustering. He is good-looking, knows it and flaunts it unapologetically to the female lead. While he is possessive, it doesn't cross the line of creepy. Though, he is extremely pushy, insisting Ripley marry him. He stops at no cost to seduce and threaten Ripley into marriage. I know 'threaten' is a bit harsh, but this is a list of tyrants, after all. Duke Luave – The Duke's Cursed Charm Duke Luave, like many of these comic tyrants, has a terrible curse: his irresistible charm. Not kidding. People fall madly in love with him and are extremely possessive due to his affliction. It is so problematic that women are literally throwing themselves in front of his carriage. RELATED: 5 Devastating WEBTOON Curses Luave constantly turns down women and men while also dealing with rumors that he is a seductive devil. Due to this curse, he is much more independent than dukes in similar stories. Bathing, dressing and primarily tending to his needs to spare servants from his curse. He uses magic to suppress the devilish power at all costs. That isn't to say he doesn't use his curse on purpose in a pinch… He is quick-witted, difficult to please, harder to seduce and an entertaining character. He has quite the personality. While a tyrant in his own right, using his curse only so slightly to his advantage, he isn't as stone-faced as the rest. However, he is twice as cold-blooded. Though everything changes when he meets the female lead. Who, surprise, is immune to his charm. Now he will have to learn how to seduce someone. Therdeo Lapileon – My In-Laws Are Obsessed With Me My In-Laws Are Obsessed With Me has the typical broody duke, but there is more to him. Therdeo is, you guessed it, a cursed duke. But not the fun kind of curse like The Duke's Cursed Charm. His curse doesn't draw the ladies in but rather does them in. Therdeo has poisonous blood, as well as everyone in his family's bloodline. As a result, he is highly protective of his family and wants to create a better life for his nephew. Wow, huge father potential. RELATED: Saturday Morning Webtoons: Fingers and Welfare Center While he rules with his sword and is hard to read, we know that he is a tortured soul that just wants someone he can hold onto. Or, well, we know that after he killed the female lead. It is complicated; you'll have to trust that things look up in the romance department after the first few chapters. Dorothy – The Tyrant Wants to Be Good You read that right, and yes, Dorothy is a woman and a tyrant. Finally! Though being the tyrant didn't save her from the born-again trope. She has a second chance at life. Before, she was a ruthless princess who would do anything to get the crown, even killing her brother. But now? She is destined to live her life as a good person, which is tricky because she had a terrible life. Watching her slowly change and learn what it means to be good charmed me in a way a curse couldn't. I'm rooting for you, Dorothy. Are you a fan of WEBTOON tyrants? Who is your favorite? This article was originally published in March 2023.
