Responsible artificial intelligence integration framework for psychiatric guidelines

The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, vol. 29

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping medicine, promising advances in diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment, and psychiatry will be no exception. Yet the field remains fragmented: ethical guidelines, technical standards, and clinical workflows have evolved in parallel, creating uncertainty about how to integrate AI safely and meaningfully into psychiatric care. Existing frameworks often address isolated domains (explainability, data protection, or harm prevention [HP]) without providing a coherent structure that connects them to everyday clinical realities. This article introduces a global framework for the responsible integration of AI in psychiatry, built on 4 non-negotiable system capabilities: Explainable AI to ensure transparency and trust; Shared Decision-Making to protect patient autonomy; Electronic Health Record integration to secure continuity and accountability; and HP to embed multilayered safety controls. Together, these pillars define a responsibility-by-design approach that aligns technological development with psychiatry's ethical foundations. The framework offers clinicians, policymakers, and developers a roadmap for aligning innovation with human values and measurable improvements in clinical outcomes. By translating ethical commitments into auditable, non-negotiable system capabilities, it establishes a concrete foundation for regulatory oversight, guideline endorsement, and responsible AI deployment in psychiatry.

Authors 12

1. Shlomo Mendlovic corresponding

   Tel Aviv University · Shalvata Mental Health Center

   Affiliation as printed

   Shalvata Mental Health Center , Hod Hasharon ,

   Tel Aviv University, School of Medicine , Tel Aviv ,

2. Iryna Frankova

   World Health Organization · Amsterdam Public Health · Bogomolets National Medical University · Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Clinical, Neuro- and Developmental Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health Institute and World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Research and Dissemination of Psychological Interventions, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam , Amsterdam ,

   Department of Medical Psychology, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Educational and Scientific Institute of Mental Health, Bohomolets National Medical University , Kyiv ,

   Family Outpatient Unit, Centrum’45, ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre , Oegstgeest ,

3. Eric H. G. J. M. Vermetten Aachen Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center

   Leiden University Medical Center

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center , Leiden,

4. Danuta Wasserman

   Karolinska Institutet

   Affiliation as printed

   National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention of Mental Ill-Health, Karolinska Institutet , Stockholm ,

   The World Psychiatric Association (WPA), Thônex, Geneva, Switzerland

5. Thomas G. Schulze

   Johns Hopkins University · SUNY Upstate Medical University · Institut für Psychiatrische Phänomik und Genomik · Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD ,

   Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Norton College of Medicine, SUNY Upstate Medical University , Syracuse, NY ,

   Institute of Psychiatric Phenomics and Genomics (IPPG), University Hospital , LMU Munich, Munich, Bavaria ,

   The World Psychiatric Association (WPA), Thônex, Geneva, Switzerland

6. Peter Falkai

   Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry · Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München , Munich ,

   Max-Planck Institute for Psychiatry , Munich ,

7. Konstantinos Ν. Fountoulakis

   Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

   Affiliation as printed

   3rd Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki , Thessaloniki ,

   Institute of Psychiatry , Thessaloniki ,

   Society for Neurosciences and Rehabilitation (E.N.A.) , Thessaloniki ,

8. Kristina Adorjan

   University of Bern · LMU Klinikum · Institut für Psychiatrische Phänomik und Genomik · Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern , Bern ,

   Institute of Psychiatric Phenomics and Genomics (IPPG), LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich , Munich ,

9. Hiroyuki Uchida

   Keio University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine , Tokyo ,

10. Eyal Fruchter

    Technion – Israel Institute of Technology

    Affiliation as printed

    Icar Collective and Rappoport Medical Faculty, Technion , Haifa ,

11. Gabriella Gobbi

    McGill University Health Centre · Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre · McGill University

    Affiliation as printed

    Neurobiological Psychiatry Unit, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University and Research Institute, McGill University Health Center , Montréal, Québec ,

12. Joseph Zohar

    Tel Aviv University · Sheba Medical Center

    Affiliation as printed

    Sheba Medical Center , , Tel Aviv ,

    Tel Aviv University , , Tel Aviv ,