This editorial policy explains how everything on Idevsa.com is researched, sourced, written and kept current. Health information that is wrong or vague costs readers time they may not have, so the rule here is narrow: if we cannot point to a source, we do not publish the claim.
MedlinePlus, the US National Library of Medicine’s consumer health service, tells readers judging a health site to look for links or references to the sources of the information, dates showing when a page was updated, and a way to contact the people who run it. This page describes how we try to pass those tests.
What this editorial policy applies to
Everything published on Idevsa.com: guide and page text, headings, tables, key takeaways, FAQ answers and reference lists.
Our source hierarchy
When sources disagree, we weigh them in roughly this order:
- Clinical practice guidelines from national guideline bodies, which synthesize research into treatment recommendations.
- Government health agencies, such as the National Institute of Mental Health, SAMHSA, the NHS and the World Health Organization.
- Professional and licensing bodies, including national psychological and counseling associations and the state boards that issue licenses.
- Peer-reviewed research, favoring systematic reviews and meta-analyses over single studies.
- Non-profit clinical publishers such as Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic, used for plain-language explanations rather than prevalence figures.
We do not use content farms, therapy platforms’ marketing pages, commercial directories or press releases as sources, and we do not cite Wikipedia.
How we cite
Every statistic, legal or licensing requirement, helpline number and research claim is linked inline, in the sentence where it is used, to the page that supports it. Guides also carry a full reference list at the end.
We give a figure’s year whenever the source does, because prevalence and cost data date quickly.
How we fact-check
Every page is checked against its sources before it goes live:
- Each number is traced back to the original and read in context, including which population and year it describes.
- Helpline numbers are checked against the operator’s own site.
- Licensing, title-protection and insurance rules are checked against an official body, and we name the country or state they apply to.
- Claims about how well a treatment works are stated the way the evidence states them. “Recommended as a first-line treatment” we can support; “cures” we cannot.
- Anything we cannot verify is removed, or rewritten qualitatively without a number attached.
We do not invent quotes, statistics or case studies, and this site carries no client stories, testimonials or reviews.
How we write
We write in plain language, because being understood is part of being accurate. The CDC defines plain language as “communication your audience understands the first time they read it or hear it,” and recommends putting the most important message first, using the active voice, and limiting each sentence to one idea.
We also write without stigma: people live with a condition rather than being it, and seeking help is never framed as weakness. On suicide we follow safe messaging guidance from the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which asks writers to use “died by suicide” rather than treating suicide as a crime or a failure, and to prefer measured words like “rise” over “epidemic.” We do not describe methods.
How we update pages
Every guide and page shows the date it was last updated, and that date moves when the substance changes, not on a schedule.
We revisit a page when a cited source publishes new data, when guidance or law changes, when a reader reports a problem, and otherwise at least once a year. If a source disappears, we replace it or drop the claim it supported.
Corrections and feedback
If you find an error, tell us. Email hello@idevsaa.com or use the contact page, and point to the page and the sentence if you can.
We correct factual errors as soon as we have verified the correction, and change the page’s updated date when we do.
Our editorial independence
Idevsa.com currently carries no sponsored content, no advertising, no affiliate links and no paid placements. No therapist, clinic or platform can pay to be mentioned or recommended, and none has.
If that ever changes, we will disclose the arrangement clearly on the page where it appears.
What our content cannot do
Our guides are general education: not medical or psychological advice, not a diagnosis, and reading them does not create a therapist-client relationship. Nobody here reviews your situation, and nothing here substitutes for care from a licensed professional who knows your history. Our disclaimer sets out the full terms.
If you are in crisis, our crisis help page lists free, confidential helplines. For practical next steps, see how to choose a psychotherapist.