Examining modern design trends in historical context is more clinically and ethically important than ever.

Dr Carrie Tamarelli joins Ethics Talk to discuss her article, coauthored with Angela Cao and Dr Rebecca Grossman-Kahn: “Should Patients’ Boredom in Locked Inpatient Psychiatric Units Be Considered Iatrogenic Harm?”

Architect Stefan Lundin joins Ethics Talk to discuss how the design of mental health facilities contributes to safety and to patient healing.

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

This article canvasses extant literature on values, evidence, and standards for inpatient psychiatry units’ design.

Dr Brendan D. Kelly joins Ethics Talk to discuss his article, coauthored with Dr Róisín Plunkett: “Should Dignity Preservation Be a Precondition for Safety and a Design Priority for Healing in Inpatient Psychiatry Spaces?”

Alice J. Liu joins Ethics Talk to discuss her article, coauthored with Drs David S. Im and Laura D. Hirshbein: “What Does the History of Inpatient Psychiatric Unit Design Tell Us About Balancing Safety and Healing for Patients With Suicidal Behaviors?”

Paternalistic language in patients’ health records is of specific ethical concern because it emphasizes clinicians’ power and patients’ vulnerabilities and can be demeaning and traumatizing.

Is intention the same as design?

Dr Morgan C. Shields joins Ethics Talk to discuss her article, coauthored with Zohra Kantawala and Dr Ramesh Raghavan: “Why Patient-Centered Built Environment Standards Matter More Than Numbers of Beds in Inpatient Psychiatry”