OpenAI releases MentalHealthBench, an open benchmark co-developed with 80+ licensed clinicians to evaluate AI in realistic mental health conversations

OpenAI open-sourced MentalHealthBench, a benchmark built with over 80 licensed psychologists and psychiatrists across 22 countries. It tests AI on realistic mental health conversations ranging from everyday stress to emergencies, covering adults, teens, and caregivers. The eval goes beyond safety filters: it checks whether models seek context, preserve user agency, and offer actionable guidance when appropriate. OpenAI stresses ChatGPT isn't a substitute for therapy, but the benchmark tracks progress on empathy and steering people toward real-world support. The paper and benchmark are publicly available.