Editorial Policy

The Discovery Institute’s Editorial Policy serves as the foundation for every piece of content we create, from program pages to the educational material we develop to assist families with information related to addiction. This policy is to ensure that all content we publish is understandable, responsible, and reflects the best practices of clinical care.

Individuals looking for assistance through addiction treatment often do so during a time of great stress and uncertainty. Our goal is to use our knowledge and expertise to provide information that will support you in this stressful time, with content that is accurate, clear to follow, and based on established standards for addiction treatment.

The Discovery Institute Editorial Policy has three pillars that demonstrate our commitment to putting patients first and providing education with content that:

• Stays within the scope of the behavioral health and addiction treatment industry
• Has been appropriately vetted and reviewed to ensure its accuracy
• Is developed to be ethically grounded in the principles of respect, transparency, and accessibility

Our Editorial Process

Industry Relevance

Our content is developed based on what individuals and families really want to know when looking for support, comparing treatment options, or preparing for admission to treatment. Our content covers all aspects of detoxification, treatment, substances, and aftercare, as well as elements of relapse prevention, mental health, and understanding what to expect during the admissions process.

Qualified Contributors

The information presented in our content is written by qualified, knowledgeable professionals, which includes our experienced team and editorial staff. For clinical or medically sensitive topics, we ensure that the information is written based on established clinical standards and presented in a factual, balanced manner by using input from qualified subject matter experts.

Our objective is to make it easier for readers to understand complex information without being overwhelmed.

Quality Content

At Discovery Institute, we prioritize providing practical, respectful, and easily understandable content while steering away from sensationalized claims and fear-based messaging. We also avoid making promises regarding outcome effectiveness since individual recovery from substance abuse depends upon various factors.

If we reference any data or research, we strive to provide as much context as possible to avoid cherry-picking. Our goal is to have readers leave with an educated perspective, not feeling as though they are being pressured.

Editing and Medical Reviews

All pieces of content go through a multi-step review process that includes editing for tone, clarity, and overall readability. Additional accuracy review is performed by licensed medical professionals prior to publishing content that contains clinical definitions, symptoms of substance withdrawal, medications used for substance withdrawal and treatment guidance.

The medical review and editorial team members check for:

• Definition of terms with simple descriptions
• Consistency with our services and processes
• Appropriate language related to mental health and substance use
• Helpful and respectful tone consistent with the seriousness of treatment decisions

Ongoing Content Reviews

As the field of behavioral health is constantly changing, the educational information also needs to be updated. We periodically review our pages and articles to ensure that they are reflective of current practices or guidelines, to improve the clarity of information provided, or to reflect important new developments.