# ChatGPT's crisis feature is hard to find > OpenAI built a way for ChatGPT to alert someone you trust when you're in crisis, but almost nobody is told it exists. - Title: ChatGPT's crisis feature is hard to find · NPR | Shortify - Summary: OpenAI built a way for ChatGPT to alert someone you trust when you're in crisis, but almost nobody is told it exists. Trusted Contact only works if you set… - Keywords: chatgpt, mental health, suicide prevention, openai, product design, news, ChatGPT's, crisis, feature, hard, find, NPR - Source: NPR — https://npr.org/2026/09/14/nx-s1-5943118/chatgpt-has-a-feature-to-help-those-in-crisis-but-where-can-you-find-it - Published: 2026-09-14T00:00:00+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: chatgpt, mental health, suicide prevention, openai, product design, news ## A million crisis chats a week NPR estimates that more than a million weekly ChatGPT users discuss suicide and self-harm, based on data OpenAI released last fall. ## The fix OpenAI shipped In May, OpenAI launched Trusted Contact, an optional setting where you name someone the bot can reach out to if it detects you're in serious distress. ## Why a human name matters Suicide prevention experts say human connection is the thing that actually prevents deaths. The feature is an attempt to route a chatbot conversation back to a person. ## It started with a death NPR first reported on Trusted Contact in August, in a story about a young woman who died by suicide in 2024 after using an older ChatGPT as her therapist. ## Good adoption, no numbers OpenAI spokesperson Gaby Raila said the company has seen good adoption of the feature but would not give NPR any figures. > good adoption ## Nobody had heard of it The NPR reporter uses ChatGPT and had never been told about Trusted Contact. Neither had her editor, nor several other users the team checked with. ## A brand new user tries A colleague who had never used ChatGPT signed up on her phone, picked a voice, and got a friendly greeting. No mention of Trusted Contact anywhere in setup. > It's lovely to meet you ## The bot denied it existed Asked directly about a Trusted Contact feature, ChatGPT suggested she was confusing it with a different app. It only admitted the feature was real after being corrected. > Maybe you're thinking of another app that has a Trusted Contact option? ## If it's not set up, nothing happens ChatGPT spelled out the catch itself: it is opt-in, it must be configured in Settings in advance, and without it the bot cannot notify anyone on your behalf. > It only works if it's set up in advance ## Voice mode is excluded Raila said Trusted Contact isn't available on ChatGPT voice yet. While typing, the bot may prompt you to set it up if it detects suicidal thoughts. ## Offer it before the emergency Holly Wilcox of Johns Hopkins said the ideal would be offering the feature to every user while they're calm, not in the middle of a crisis. > It would be ideal to offer it to all users when they are not yet in an emergency ## Easy now, harder in pain Psychologist Ursula Whiteside found the setup simple and clear. Her caveat: if she had been very upset, following the steps would have been much harder. > if I was super duper upset, it might have been harder for me to follow the process ## The burden problem Jennifer Lockman of the University of Alabama notes that suicidal people often believe they're a burden, so a chatbot nudge may not break through. She wants research before calling it lifesaving. > They really have come to a place where they believe that others would be better off without them. ## Key takeaway Trusted Contact only works if you set it up in Settings before a crisis, and ChatGPT will probably never tell you it's there.