Editorial & Content Standards

Contents

1. Our editorial commitment
2. What we publish
3. Clinical review standards
4. Safe messaging statement
5. Content warning policy
6. Consent and privacy of story subjects
7. Photo ethics & consent
8. Therapist’s Notes standards
9. Medications guide standards
10. AI content disclosure
11. Corrections and clarifications
12. Community moderation
13. Contact us

1. Our editorial commitment

The Mind Project is a mental health media and resource platform operated by Deep Light Media Limited. Every editorial decision is measured against one question: does this content make someone in distress safer, or does it put them at greater risk? Safety is the foundation of everything we publish. It is not negotiable.

We are not a clinical service, a crisis line, or a substitute for professional mental health care. We use storytelling, clinically reviewed information, and community to reduce stigma and help people feel less alone. That is the whole job.

2. What we publish

We publish content in five categories, each with its own editorial standards:

• Personal essays and first-person stories, lived experience of mental health challenges, written by or closely with the person involved.
• Reported articles, journalism on mental health systems, policy, research, and community responses across Africa.
• Therapist’s Notes, columns and clinical reflections by registered mental health professionals.
• Conditions and medications guides, evidence-based reference information, clinically reviewed.
• Explainers, accessible explanations of mental health concepts, treatments, and systems.

We do not publish: unverified health claims, content that romanticises or aestheticises mental health crisis, promotional or advertorial content, or content without the consent of the people it features.

3. Clinical review standards

3.1 What gets reviewed

The following content is subject to clinical review before publication:

• Condition guides (e.g. depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, PTSD, schizophrenia)
• Medication information pages
• Therapist’s Notes and professional commentary
• Any article making clinical claims about symptoms, causes, treatments, or outcomes
• Crisis and safe messaging content

Lived-experience narratives are not clinically reviewed for their content — a person’s experience is their own — but they are reviewed for safe messaging compliance and to ensure appropriate content warnings and crisis resources are in place.

3.2 Who reviews

Clinical review is conducted by qualified mental health professionals registered with the Kenya Counsellors and Psychologists Board (CPB) or equivalent recognised bodies. Reviewers hold relevant postgraduate qualifications in clinical psychology, counselling psychology, psychiatry, or a related discipline. Every clinically reviewed piece carries a note identifying that it has been reviewed by a qualified professional and the date of review.

3.3 The review process

1. Drafting — content is written by a qualified writer or contributor
2. Editorial review — checked for clarity, structure, anti-stigma language, and safe messaging
3. Clinical review — a CPB-registered professional reviews for clinical accuracy, evidence base, and safety
4. Safe messaging check — verified against WHO and Samaritans guidelines; content warnings and crisis resources added
5. Publication — published with a clinical review note and review date
6. Scheduled re-review — clinical content is re-reviewed at least every two years, or sooner if evidence changes

3.4 Evidence standards

• Clinical content is grounded in current peer-reviewed evidence and recognised clinical guidelines
• We reference authoritative sources: WHO, peer-reviewed journals, and recognised clinical bodies
• Where evidence is uncertain or contested, we say so
• We distinguish between established clinical consensus and emerging research
• Medication content reflects current prescribing information but is never a substitute for prescriber advice

3.5 Keeping content current

Mental health evidence evolves. Every clinically reviewed page displays its last review date. Content is re-reviewed at least every two years, and immediately where significant new evidence, guideline changes, or safety information emerges. Outdated content is updated or clearly marked as under review.

3.6 The limits of our content

Clinical review ensures our content is accurate and safe — but it does not make our content a substitute for personal clinical care. Every person’s mental health is unique. Our condition guides describe conditions in general terms; they cannot diagnose you, and they cannot replace an assessment by a registered professional who knows your specific circumstances. We always encourage readers to consult a CPB-registered practitioner for personal clinical guidance. Verify a practitioner at cpb.go.ke.

4. Safe messaging statement

4.1 The standards we follow

• WHO Guidelines for Reporting on Suicide (Preventing Suicide: A Resource for Media Professionals, latest edition)
• Samaritans Media Guidelines for Reporting Suicide and Self-Harm
• Kenya Mental Health Act 2022, ss.4 and 35 — dignity and privacy provisions
• Kenya Mental Health Action Plan 2021–2025 — national anti-stigma framework

Following the January 2025 High Court ruling that decriminalised attempted suicide in Kenya, we report on suicide as a public health and mental health matter — never as a crime.

4.2 What we always do

• Include crisis resources and helpline information with every piece of content that touches on suicide, self-harm, or crisis — see Section 4.6
• Use person-first, non-judgmental language (“died by suicide,” not “committed suicide”)
• Apply a clear content warning before sensitive content
• Frame recovery and help-seeking as possible and available
• Cite evidence and qualified sources
• Treat every person in our content with dignity

4.3 What we never do

• Describing or detailing suicide or self-harm methods
• Specifying the location of a suicide
• Presenting suicide as a solution, escape, or romantic or heroic act
• Sensational or prominent headlines about suicide
• Graphic imagery of self-harm, suicide, or crisis
• Language that frames suicide as a crime (“committed suicide”)
• Oversimplifying the causes of suicide (e.g. attributing it to a single event)
• Publishing content that could enable contagion or imitation

4.4 Reporting on suicide

Where we publish content involving suicide, we: focus on the person’s life and the broader mental health context rather than the death itself; avoid any detail of method or location; always include help-seeking information; use measured, non-prominent framing; and consider the impact on bereaved families and vulnerable readers. We do not publish suicide notes or speculate on motives.

4.5 Reporting on self-harm

Content involving self-harm avoids any description of methods, avoids images of injuries or scars, and always pairs the content with support resources. We frame self-harm within a recovery-oriented, non-judgmental context.

4.6 Resources with every story

Crisis resources appear with every relevant story

Befrienders Kenya (24-hour): +254 722 178 177

Childline Kenya (toll-free): 116

Emergency Services: 999

See our full Crisis Resource Directory.

4.7 Review and training

All editorial staff and contributors complete safe messaging training before producing content on suicide, self-harm, or crisis. This Statement is reviewed annually and updated as WHO and Samaritans guidance evolves. Questions: editorial@themindproject.africa

5. Content warning policy

5.1 What a content warning is

A content warning (sometimes called a trigger warning) is a short notice placed before a piece of content, alerting you that it discusses a potentially distressing topic. It is not censorship — it is information that lets you make an informed choice about your own wellbeing.

5.2 When we apply them

We apply a content warning before any content that includes substantial discussion of:

• Suicide or suicidal thoughts
• Self-harm
• Trauma, abuse, or violence
• Eating disorders and disordered eating
• Substance use and addiction
• Grief, loss, and bereavement
• Pregnancy loss and perinatal mental health
• Detailed description of acute mental health crisis

5.3 How they appear

Content warnings appear at the very top of the content, before any of the substantive material. Where appropriate, sensitive content is placed behind a click-to-reveal so that it does not load automatically. Crisis resources always accompany the warning.

5.4 Your sensitivity settings

Registered users can set content sensitivity preferences in their account settings. These preferences are stored as a preference cookie (with your consent) and let you choose to have certain categories of content collapsed by default. Your sensitivity settings are never used for any purpose other than displaying content warnings — see our Privacy Policy.

5.5 Warning categories

5.6 Community content

Community members are asked to add a content note when posting about sensitive topics. Our moderators apply content warnings to community posts where needed, consistent with our Safe Messaging Statement. Posts describing methods of suicide, self-harm, or disordered eating are removed.

6. Consent and privacy of story subjects

Every identifiable person featured in published content on The Mind Project has given informed written consent. This includes:

• Understanding where the content will be published and how long it will remain accessible
• Knowing they can request anonymisation or withdrawal before publication
• Having approved the final version of any content that features them

Anonymous contributions are published under pseudonyms. We never reveal the identity of an anonymous contributor without their explicit, specific, and renewed consent.

7. Photo ethics & consent policy

7.1 Our guiding principle

The Mind Project publishes visual stories about mental health across Africa. Photography is one of the most powerful tools for reducing stigma and humanising suffering. It is also one of the most dangerous tools for exploitation, dehumanisation, and harm. The difference is the decisions made before, during, and after the shutter clicks.

Our guiding principle is simple: the dignity of the person photographed comes before everything else. A photograph of a person in mental health distress that serves the story but harms the subject will never be published. No journalistic value and no aesthetic quality justifies overriding it.

This policy applies to all visual content published on The Mind Project, including photo essays, documentary series, individual images in articles, and any images used in social media or promotional materials.

7.2 Informed consent, standard requirements

Every identifiable subject in a photograph published by The Mind Project must provide informed written consent before photography begins. Consent obtained after photography, or consent given under pressure, is not valid.

Informed consent means the subject:

• Understands the purpose of the photography and where images will be published
• Understands that images may remain publicly accessible once published online
• Has been told they can withdraw consent at any time before publication
• Has been given time to consider and is not under duress
• Has signed a written consent form or, where this is not possible, provided documented verbal consent with a witness
• Has received a copy of the consent form

Photographers must retain consent documentation and provide it to The Mind Project editorial team before any image is published. We will request this documentation routinely.

7.3 Anonymisation standards

Where a subject wishes to remain anonymous, the following anonymisation standards apply:

• Face not shown or face obscured in post-processing (blurred, turned away, in shadow), must be agreed with subject before photography
• No identifying features, tattoos, distinctive clothing, or background identifiers that could identify the subject must be removed or obscured
• Name changed, captions must use a pseudonym and state clearly: “Name changed to protect privacy”
• Location generalised, “a Nairobi clinic” rather than the specific facility name, unless the facility has consented separately

Anonymisation decisions must be made in consultation with the subject, not unilaterally by the photographer or editor. The subject has final approval of how their anonymisation is implemented.

7.4 Sensitive settings, inpatient facilities, clinics, and therapeutic spaces

Photography in psychiatric wards, inpatient facilities, outpatient clinics, therapy rooms, or any formal mental health care setting requires:

• Written permission from the facility (management, ethics committee, or institutional review board where applicable)
• Individual written consent from each identifiable patient photographed, facility consent does not substitute for individual consent
• Agreement on what images may and may not be published, negotiated with both the facility and each individual subject
• Review of images by the facility before publication if required by their consent process

7.5 Street photography and public spaces

Photography of people in public spaces, streets, markets, public health facilities, in contexts related to mental health carries additional responsibilities.

While Kenyan and most African jurisdictions permit street photography in public spaces, The Mind Project applies a higher standard than the legal minimum:

• Photographs that appear to depict a person experiencing a mental health crisis in a public space require documented consent from that individual if they are identifiable
• Wide-angle street scenes in which no individual is the primary subject may be published without individual consent
• Photographs taken in community mental health outreach contexts require consent from the outreach organisation and from identifiable individuals

The test we apply: Would the person photographed, if they saw this image published, feel their dignity had been respected? If the answer is uncertain, we do not publish.

7.6 Children and young people

Photography of minors (under 18) in mental health contexts is subject to the highest level of protection:

• Written consent from a parent or legal guardian is mandatory, a minor’s own consent is not sufficient
• For adolescents aged 14–17, both adolescent assent and parental consent are required
• The editorial team must specifically approve any photograph featuring a minor before publication
• Minors may never be photographed in ways that connect them to a specific mental health diagnosis without both their own assent and parental consent explicitly covering that connection
• If a minor subsequently withdraws assent (even after parental consent was given), the image is removed

7.7 Crisis, suicide, and self-harm imagery

The Mind Project does not publish photographs that depict, suggest, or imply:

• A person in the act of self-harm or suicide attempt
• Methods of self-harm or suicide
• A person in a state of extreme psychiatric distress in a way that is voyeuristic or exploitative
• Imagery that romanticises or aestheticises mental health crisis

This prohibition applies regardless of consent. A subject’s willingness to be photographed in crisis does not make the photograph appropriate for publication.

These standards are consistent with the WHO/IASP guidelines on media reporting of suicide and the reporting frameworks of Mindframe (Australia) and the Samaritans (UK) Media Guidelines.

7.8 Caption standards

Every image published on The Mind Project must include a caption that:

• Identifies the photographer (full name or agreed pseudonym)
• States the location and approximate date
• Where a subject is anonymised: states “Name changed to protect privacy” or “Subject photographed anonymously”
• Does not disclose a mental health diagnosis unless the subject has explicitly approved this
• Does not use stigmatising language about mental illness

Captions must not contradict or undermine the consent the subject gave. If a subject consented to be photographed as “a person living with anxiety” they may not be captioned as “a schizophrenia patient.”

7.9 Withdrawal of consent

Subjects may withdraw consent at any time before publication. After publication, withdrawal of consent is assessed on a case-by-case basis, but The Mind Project will promptly remove images upon a withdrawal request where:

• The subject provides documented evidence of original consent
• The subject can clearly identify the images in question
• Removal does not cause disproportionate harm to the integrity of published editorial work

Withdrawal requests should be directed to editor@themindproject.africa. We will respond within 5 business days.

7.10 Editorial review process

All photo essays and individual images in articles are subject to editorial review before publication. The review covers:

• Consent documentation verified for all identifiable subjects
• Anonymisation standards confirmed where applicable
• No crisis or self-harm imagery present
• Captions reviewed for accuracy, dignity, and compliance with this policy
• Photographer credentials and ethics agreement on file
• Senior editorial sign-off for inpatient facility photography or any series featuring minors

Photographers submitting work to The Mind Project agree to this policy as a condition of publication. Questions about the policy should be directed to editor@themindproject.africa.

8. Therapist's Notes standards

All Therapist’s Notes contributors must be registered with a recognised professional body in their country of practice. Their credentials are verified by the editorial team and displayed on every published piece.

Every Therapist’s Notes article carries a disclaimer: “Views expressed represent the author’s professional perspective and do not constitute clinical advice or establish a therapeutic relationship.”

9. Medications guide standards

Every entry in the medications guide carries a mandatory disclaimer above the fold: “This information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Do not start, stop, or change any medication without consulting a qualified doctor or psychiatrist.”

Medications guide entries never include dosage recommendations. They are reviewed by a qualified psychiatrist or clinical pharmacologist before publication.

10. AI content disclosure statement

10.1 Where AI is never used

• Clinical and condition content — all clinical content is written or reviewed by qualified human professionals (see Clinical Review Standards)
• Medication information — written and reviewed entirely by qualified humans
• Lived-experience narratives — a person’s mental health story is always written by that person or a human journalist working with them
• Therapist’s Notes — authored entirely by registered professionals
• Crisis and safe messaging content — written and verified by trained humans
• Consent documents — completed by humans with human contributors
• Content moderation decisions on community posts about crisis — reviewed by human moderators

10.2 Where AI may assist

• Administrative and operational tasks (scheduling, non-editorial correspondence)
• Background research, always independently verified by humans against primary clinical sources
• Headline suggestions, always reviewed and approved by human editors
• Accessibility features such as draft alt text for images, always reviewed by editors

10.3 Disclosure standard

Any content where AI contributed substantially to drafting carries this disclosure beneath the byline. Given the prohibitions in Section 10.1, this applies only to general awareness content — never to clinical, lived-experience, or crisis content.

10.4 AI and your data

10.5 AI tools register

The Mind Project maintains an internal register of all AI tools in use, reviewed quarterly by the Group CEO, available to regulators and partners on request.

10.6 Review

This policy is reviewed quarterly. Last reviewed: May 2026. Questions: editorial@themindproject.africa

11. Corrections and clarifications policy

11.1 What counts as a material error

• Clinical inaccuracies — incorrect information about conditions, symptoms, treatments, or medications
• Factual errors — wrong names, dates, statistics, or descriptions
• Misattribution of a statement or clinical claim
• Outdated clinical information that no longer reflects current evidence
• Errors that could mislead a reader about their mental health or care

11.2 Correction timelines

11.3 How corrections are displayed

• The correction notice appears at the top of the affected article, below the headline
• The error and the correction are described clearly
• The date of correction is shown, alongside the clinical re-review date where relevant
• The original content is updated — never retained alongside the correction
• The article URL does not change

11.4 How to report an error

Unsatisfied with our response? Refer the matter to the Media Council of Kenya at mediacouncil.or.ke.

12. Community moderation

All community spaces on The Mind Project are actively moderated. Moderation removes content that is harmful, stigmatising, abusive, or that violates the safety of other community members. Moderators are trained in mental health-informed moderation.

Community spaces require users to be 18 or over, or to have parental or guardian consent. See our Privacy Policy for how community participation data is handled.

13. Contact us about editorial matters

• Editorial enquiries and pitches: editor@themindproject.africa
• Corrections and complaints: Complaints procedure · Feedback · editor@themindproject.africa
• General feedback: Contact form
• Partnerships: info@themindproject.africa
• Phone: +254 711 444 499