AI Mental Health: 58% Skip Therapy After Using AI — What Your Coping Type Reveals

# AI Mental Health: 58% Skip Therapy After Using AI — What Your Coping Type Reveals

> **Quick answer:** A new KFF poll of 1,343 U.S. adults found that 58% of people who use AI chatbots for mental health advice skip professional follow-up entirely. That's not just a statistic about technology — it's a window into how different coping personality types process emotional distress. Understanding which type you are could be the most important mental health insight you get this year.

AI mental health therapy is now a real behavioral pattern in America. One in six U.S. adults used AI for mental health information or advice in the past year, and more than half of them never followed up with a real professional. The question isn't whether AI is replacing therapists. It already is — for a significant chunk of the country. The more urgent question is: which type of person replaces therapy with AI, and what does that mean for their long-term mental health?

## What the KFF Data Actually Shows

The numbers come from a nationally representative KFF Tracking Poll conducted February 24 – March 2, 2026, with 1,343 U.S. adults. The findings are stark.

Roughly **32% of American adults** used AI chatbots for health information in the past year — equaling the share who use social media for health. Of that group, **16% used AI specifically for mental health** information or advice. And of those mental health AI users, **58% did not follow up with a mental health professional afterward**.