AI Mental-Health Boundary Table
Use with AI Is Not Therapy.
If you may act on thoughts of suicide or self-harm, cannot stay safe, or someone is in immediate danger, contact your local emergency services or go to the nearest emergency department now. For location-appropriate crisis resources, use IASP’s crisis-support page. Do not wait for a chatbot response.
Before you type anything personal
AI is optional. Use a private document or paper for a real emotional situation. In a general-purpose AI service, use only fictional or non-sensitive material unless your organization has explicitly approved a protected environment for that exact data and purpose.
- Removing names does not make an account anonymous. Events, dates, relationships, locations and rare details can identify people.
- Turning model training off is not the same as controlling history, retention, human review, sharing, connected apps or legal access. Check each separately.
- Instructions inside a prompt are not a security control. Tool access and data handling must enforce the boundary.
Choose the next step
| Zone | Situation | Next step | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green | A narrow writing task about fictional or non-sensitive everyday material | Organize wording, then review it yourself | The person supplies the material and keeps the judgment |
| Amber | Recurring distress, grief, relationship conflict, a high-stakes decision while distressed, or replacing contact with people | Contact a trusted person or appropriately qualified professional | A model cannot verify the account, assess the situation or provide accountable follow-up |
| Red | Immediate danger, suicidal intent or self-harm risk, severe disorientation with safety risk, abuse with current danger, or risk of harming someone | Contact local emergency or specialist crisis support now | A chatbot cannot assess or manage immediate risk or ensure that help arrives |
If abuse, coercion or stalking may be involved, do not assume direct confrontation or a shared device is safe. Use a specialist service and a safer device if advised.
Name human routes while calm
- Trusted person I can contact: __________________________________________
- Appropriately qualified professional or service: _________________________
- Local emergency route, checked from an official local source: ____________
- Specialist safety-support route, if relevant: ____________________________
Do not ask a chatbot to identify a crisis number or decide whether help can wait.
Bounded green-zone practice
Use only fictional or non-sensitive input:
I am using fictional or non-sensitive details for a low-stakes writing
exercise. Organize the details below into: what the speaker wants to
acknowledge, what context they want to add, and one question they could
ask. Do not diagnose anyone, judge motives or fairness, provide emotional
reassurance, or take actions. Preserve uncertainty and do not add facts.
Details: [fictional or non-sensitive details]
For amber, contact an accountable person. For red, stop and use local emergency or crisis support immediately. This worksheet is education, not therapy, diagnosis, triage or a personalized safety assessment.