JOAN

Terms of Service

Last updated: May 30, 2026 · Pilot version

JOAN is currently in pilot testing. This service is provided for informational screening purposes only and is not a substitute for clinical diagnosis, medical advice, or emergency care. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or text HOME to 741741 for the Crisis Text Line.

1. What JOAN is

JOAN is a narrative-capture screening tool for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs). It conducts a brief conversation with you, then uses AI to map what you said to validated clinical screening instruments (EPDS, PHQ-9, GAD-7) and produces a summary that you may share with your healthcare provider.

JOAN is not a clinician, does not diagnose, and does not provide treatment. Any output from JOAN is a screening signal only, and clinical interpretation belongs to a licensed healthcare provider.

2. Pilot status

JOAN is in a public pilot phase. The methodology behind JOAN's scoring is under active validation. Scores and briefs produced during the pilot phase should be treated as preliminary and subject to clinical review.

By using JOAN during the pilot phase, you acknowledge:

JOAN is not a medical device and has not been cleared or approved by the FDA or any comparable regulator.
JOAN does not currently operate under a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with the LLM provider that powers its AI. Do not enter identifying information into your conversation.
The pilot version of JOAN screens for PMADs (perinatal depression and anxiety). It does not screen for postpartum psychosis, bipolar disorder, or other clinical categories. A negative or low-concern result from JOAN does not rule out other conditions.

3. Not for use in emergencies

JOAN is not designed for use during a mental health emergency. If you are experiencing thoughts of harming yourself or others, if you are in acute distress, or if you feel unsafe, stop using JOAN immediately and contact one of the following:

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988
Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741
Postpartum Support International helpline: 1-800-944-4773
Your nearest emergency room, or 911

4. Consent to AI processing

JOAN sends the text of your conversation to a third-party AI provider (Anthropic) for the purpose of generating a screening result. JOAN does not persist the raw text of your conversation on JOAN's servers after your session ends. See our Privacy Policy for details.

5. No clinical diagnosis, no treatment relationship

Nothing produced by JOAN creates a clinician-patient relationship between you and JOAN, its founders, its investors, or any third-party service provider. JOAN does not prescribe, dispense, or recommend specific treatments.

Any decision to seek, delay, or avoid care should be made in consultation with a licensed healthcare provider.

6. Assumption of risk

You use JOAN at your own risk. To the fullest extent permitted by law, JOAN and its operators disclaim all liability for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the service, including but not limited to reliance on any screening output.

7. Eligibility

JOAN is intended for adults 18 years of age or older who are currently or have recently been pregnant, or are within the perinatal period. Do not use JOAN if you are under 18. Do not use JOAN on behalf of another person.

8. Changes to these Terms

These Terms may change as JOAN moves out of pilot phase. Any material changes will be posted here with an updated "Last updated" date.

9. Contact

Questions about these Terms: help@hellojoan.co.