Given full information about the risks of long-term opioid therapy, patients often see the value of exploring other options rather than thinking their physicians are reluctant to prescribe narcotics for fear of litigation or regulatory action.

The first women’s movement in the mid-nineteenth century endorsed anesthesia during childbirth and some of the very patterns of obstetric practice that became anathema to the natural childbirth movement a century later.

This commentary examines prevention policies that overly rely on liberty restrictions imposed by designs of inpatient psychiatric units’ structures and spaces.

Therapeutic security in inpatient psychiatric settings requires careful planning and implementation if it is to support both patients’ safety and dignity.

Iatrogenic harms of so-called “zero-risk” approaches must be balanced against promoting patients’ goals of care.

My most important job is to help my patients (and their families) who are depressed, grieving, or angry following severe injury or illness to imagine possible narratives for the next chapter of life.

Patients’ vulnerabilities and conditions can be exacerbated when they feel bored.

Inpatient psychiatric units are designed around the twin aims of treatment and containment, but emotional norms and tone also contribute to care environments.

Inpatient psychiatric units should be therapeutic environments that support dignity and recovery.

Dr Jake Young joins Ethics Talk to discuss his article: “AMA Code of Medical Ethics’ Opinions Related to Robotic Surgery.”