Patients Are Turning to AI for Therapy-Healthcare Marketers Must Build Guardrails

AI and Mental Health: Why Healthcare Marketers Need to Step In Now

Consumers are already using generative AI as a stand-in therapist. In fact, Harvard Business Review reported people turned to tools like ChatGPT for therapy and companionship more than for any other use case.

At the same time, negative outcomes are stacking up. Opinion pieces have surfaced detailing youth suicide where AI was part of the conversation. This space needs leadership. Healthcare marketers are in a position to provide it.

The Guardrail Moment

OpenAI has announced plans to add mental health "guardrails," including teen-specific protections, after reports that AI chats were linked to encouraging harm. The FDA will convene a panel to evaluate AI mental health products.

These moves signal a simple truth: consumer AI is filling a healthcare gap, especially in mental health access and affordability. Safety and clarity must catch up.

Harvard Business Review | FDA Advisory Committees

Can AI Be Your New Therapist?

There's a shortage of clinicians and long waits for care. Jon Nelson, co-founder of Neurolivd, points out that AI could shorten the time to support and provide help between sessions. "The problem with typical therapy is you're not with that therapist 99.9% of the time… Being able to create technology to help you throughout that process and make sure it's done safely is so needed."

Rachel Wurzman adds that AI can re-create features of positive clinical encounters-if built with proven methods and clinical oversight. Steve Baue stresses why: "Counselors need to go through 3,000 hours of training… The guardrails right now have to be 3,000 supervised hours that the counselor has to receive. That's what is needed right now."

What This Means for Healthcare Marketers

• Study real usage: Interview patients and caregivers about how they already use AI for mental health. Map their goals, risks, and workarounds.
• Set expectations: Do not imply diagnosis, treatment, or equivalence to therapy. State what the product can and cannot do.
• Build the safety path into messaging: Show how the product escalates to human help. Surface crisis resources prominently.
• Co-design with clinicians and lived-experience experts: Involve them in copy, flows, and feature names-before launch.
• Age-aware communication: Teen-specific safety copy, parental guidance, and access boundaries where applicable.
• Privacy clarity: Plain-language explanations of data use, storage, and human review.
• Measure outcomes that matter: Safety interventions, referrals completed, and user understanding-alongside engagement.

Product Guardrails to Insist On

• Crisis detection and routing: High-risk language triggers immediate, clear guidance and warm handoffs.
• Human-in-the-loop: Escalation to clinicians or trained responders for flagged sessions.
• No clinical claims: The AI should never diagnose, prescribe, or replace licensed care.
• Age protections: Teen safeguards, use limits, and content controls.
• Evidence-based dialogue patterns: Techniques that mirror validated therapeutic approaches-with clear limits.
• Red-teaming and audits: Ongoing safety testing, incident logs, and public-facing model cards.
• Data minimization: Collect only what's essential; disable training on sensitive conversations by default.

Messaging Principles You Can Implement Now

• Don't anthropomorphize: Avoid "your therapist in your pocket." Use "support tool," "copilot," or "guided practice."
• Front-load limitations: Put "what it's not" near headlines and CTAs, not buried in footers.
• Healthcare tone: Balanced benefits and risks. Straight talk. No hype.
• Clear next steps: "If you're in immediate danger, contact emergency services." Provide crisis links where appropriate.
• Transparent sources: Explain how responses are generated and where information comes from.

Collaboration Playbook

• Clinicians: Validate scripts, refusal behaviors, and escalation copy.
• Lived-experience advisors: Stress-test edge cases and emotional tone.
• Legal/Compliance: Align claims, disclaimers, and consent flows with healthcare standards.
• Tech partners: Align product behavior with your safety promises in-market.

Metrics That Matter

• Safety rate: Percentage of high-risk sessions with correct intervention.
• Escalation completion: Successful handoffs to human support.
• User understanding: Post-session comprehension of limits and next steps.
• Complaint rate and severity: Especially around advice quality and harm risk.
• Trust indicators: Return usage after safety prompts and NPS on clarity.

What Experts Want From Marketers

Laura Erickson-Schroth of the JED Foundation calls for active involvement: study how youth and other groups actually use AI, educate on limitations, and push for transparency. "Technology companies have a role to play… there's a lot they can do in terms of providing education [and] transparency, and this is where healthcare companies can come in."

Baue underscores partnership: bring healthcare's stricter tone and risk-forward messaging to tech products. Ensure guardrails, human oversight, and real-world use cases guide decisions-not just growth goals.

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The Mandate

People will use AI for mental health support whether we're ready or not. Your work can reduce harm and improve access by pairing clear messaging with strong safeguards.

Take ownership: define limits, educate users, and insist on human-backed safety. That's how marketing earns its seat at the table-and protects the people who trust your brand.