AI Chatbots for Mental Health – Do’s and Don’ts
A recent study led by Bournemouth University (2026) found that in the UK, 41% of participants were willing to seek out generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a mental health advisor, and 53% as a friend. In a world where (mental) health care is increasingly difficult to access, AI can remove barriers to seek support, like stigma, long waiting lists, and cost. It can also help prepare you for counselling conversations by coaching you through your thoughts and experiences or suggesting resources for wellbeing activities.
Nevertheless, we always recommend contacting professional mental health support first. This could be a counsellor, student adviser, therapist, or similar. For more information, see the links below:
Read on to learn about the risks of using AI for mental health support and how to stay safe if you choose to use it.
Risks
AI cannot replace a healthcare professional or diagnose you. In addition to these limitations, using AI for mental health advice can actually do more harm than good. For example, through:
- Misinformation and lack of expertise – AI models can draw from harmful and badly researched sources or ‘hallucinate’ incorrect information. To learn more, see our AI Safety: Accuracy and misinformation page.
- Safeguarding and regulation – A lack of regulatory frameworks to hold them accountable; this includes supervision, risk management, and grievance processes means it is difficult to identify when AI chatbots or
- Data privacy – Your mental health details are very personal and it is in your best interest to keep them private. Unfortunately, AI chatbots are not always the best at keeping your details safe. For more information and tips on the topic, see our AI Safety: Data Privacy page.
- Dependency – many AI chatbots want to keep you engaged to make money and expand marketing. Their constant availability can also cause emotional dependency that cannot be matched by human connections.
Top 3 tips when using AI for mental health support
- Remain critical when engaging with generative AI.
- Reflect on whether its advice suits your unique circumstances.
- If its advice seems inaccurate, harmful or triggering to you, stop and speak to a trusted person or mental healthcare professional.
- Be specific in your prompts to ensure the answers remain relevant. The more information you can add to your request, the better.
- Verify outputs with trusted resources, like the NHS and medical papers.
Remember: Ideally, when it comes to something as important as your wellbeing, AI should suggest resources, not be the resource itself.
Support Resources
In case of emergencies, like consideration of suicide or self-harm, please immediately call 999.
- For all: Support in a crisis | University of Edinburgh
- For all: Where to get urgent help for mental health | NHS
- For students: Health and wellbeing Student Support | University of Edinburgh
- For staff: Staff Health and Wellbeing Hub | University of Edinburgh
Watch this space! We are in the process of publishing a page about AI and Mental Health with even more support resources on the Digital Safety, Wellbeing and Citizenship Hub.
References
Nearly half of UK adults happy to use ChatGPT as a counsellor, study finds (no date). Available at: https://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/news/2026-03-05/nearly-half-uk-adults-happy-use-chatgpt-counsellor-study-finds (Accessed: 9 June 2026).
‘Sliding into an abyss’: experts warn over rising use of AI for mental health support | Mental health | The Guardian (no date). Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/aug/30/therapists-warn-ai-chatbots-mental-health-support (Accessed: 9 June 2026).
What is the role of AI in supporting good mental health? (no date). Available at: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/blogs/what-role-ai-supporting-good-mental-health (Accessed: 9 June 2026).
