Versatile AI Risk Assessment

AI threat catalogue Harmful Content Production

Self-harm

The AI system encourages self-harm or suicide, gives instructions for it, or provides the means. The potential for harm is exceptionally high.

As of: October 2026 · Catalogue version 2026.10.24.2 · 5 mitigations · 4 verified sources

Description

Such output is especially dangerous for people in mental distress and in companion or chatbot applications that involve emotional attachment. Safety frameworks deliberately distinguish between mere depiction, a user expressing their own intent, and concrete instructions, because the correct protective response, such as pointing to crisis helplines rather than simply refusing, depends on it. Triggers can be direct questions, a jailbreak (the circumvention of the safety controls), or an unsuitable course of conversation.

Possible impact

In the gravest case, such output can contribute to a person's death. Operators therefore face the highest liability risks and strict regulatory requirements; the AI Act demands particular protection for minors and other vulnerable people.

Example

A user in crisis confides in a companion chatbot, and instead of pointing to professional help, the chatbot reinforces self-harming behavior.

Recommended mitigations (5)

Compare effects and implementation levels. Expand each entry for the additional classification and rationale.

  • Specialised self-harm safety classifiers

    Technical
    Effect
    Detective
    Implementation level
    Model & training, Application, API & agents
    Classification and rationale

    Primarily technical: Software or analytical tools systematically produce and evaluate measurements, deviations, or attack indicators.

  • Crisis resource referral (helplines)

    Technical
    Effect
    Preventive
    Implementation level
    Application, API & agents, Use & operations
    Classification and rationale

    Complementary control typePeople & competence

    Primarily technical: The application makes uncertainty, system boundaries, or safe next steps visible and supports informed decisions; complemented by human expertise and judgment.

  • Safe completion with referral to support services instead of a bare refusal

    Technical
    Effect
    Preventive
    Implementation level
    Model & training, Application, API & agents
    Classification and rationale

    Primarily technical: System-enforced inspection, transformation, or blocking rules stop or neutralize disallowed content before further processing.

  • Partnership with mental health experts

    Organizational & process-based
    Effect
    Preventive
    Implementation level
    Organization, Use & operations
    Classification and rationale

    Complementary control typePeople & competence

    Primarily organizational and process-based: A governed consultation process integrates relevant expertise into design and operations; complemented by human expertise and judgment.

  • Continuous red-teaming

    Organizational & process-based
    Effect
    Detective
    Implementation level
    Model & training, Application, API & agents, Use & operations
    Classification and rationale

    Complementary control typePeople & competence, Technical

    Primarily organizational and process-based: A planned, repeatable assessment with ownership and documented follow-up creates the protective effect; complemented by human expertise and judgment as well as technical implementation.

Framework mappings

Verified locations in OWASP, NIST AI RMF, MITRE ATLAS, the EU AI Act and further frameworks. The mappings are taxonomic, not evidence of compliance.

OWASP LLM Top 10 LLM01:2026NIST AI RMF Section 2.3MITRE ATLAS AML.T0048.002EU AI Act Article 55(1)(b)

Verified references (4)

Every reference states the framework, the exact location and the publishing organisation.

EU AI Act obligations related to this threat

The obligations from the obligations compass whose articles the catalogue maps to this threat. Each leads to its entry with core, action step and evidence; whether it applies to you depends on role and risk class.

  • Evaluate and mitigate systemic risks Art. 55 · applies from 2 August 2025

    Statutory roles: Provider of a general-purpose AI model. Classes: Model with systemic risk.

    This reference is a review prompt. A threat match alone does not establish applicability.

All 62 obligations by role, risk class and deadline in the obligations compass

Terms on this page

Glossary terms that occur in this entry. Every link leads to the full explanation.

  • Jailbreak Input that makes a model bypass its own safeguards.

More entries from the topic group Harmful Content.

Hate Speech and Discrimination The AI system produces content that demeans individuals or groups on the basis of protected characteristics such as origin, gender, … Profanity The AI system produces vulgar or offensive language in a setting where this is unprofessional or against policy, such as customer support, … Sexual Content The AI system produces sexually explicit or suggestive content in a context where it is inappropriate, unwanted, or unlawful.

Matching use cases

This list shows where to review this threat, rather than how high the risk is.

For 6 further use cases, relevance depends on the system design, for example whether it generates new content from open-ended requests or is also available to people outside your organisation. Show these use cases

Frequently asked questions

What is Self-harm?
The AI system encourages self-harm or suicide, gives instructions for it, or provides the means. The potential for harm is exceptionally high.
Which mitigations help against Self-harm?
The catalogue lists 5 mitigations, each with control type, effect and implementation level. First among them are Specialised self-harm safety classifiers, Crisis resource referral (helplines) and Safe completion with referral to support services instead of a bare refusal.
Which EU AI Act obligations does Self-harm touch?
The catalogue maps this threat to Art. 55 of the EU AI Act. In the obligations compass this leads to: Evaluate and mitigate systemic risks. Whether an obligation applies depends on role, risk class and deadline.

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Cite this entry

For reports, policies or internal documents; the link leads directly to this entry.

“Self-harm”. Versatile AI Risk Assessment, AI threat catalogue, as of October 2026.
https://www.versatile-ai-risk-assessment.com/en/wissensbasis/threats/self-harm/

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