LITERATURE AS AN INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHIATRIC ETHICS

Responding to requests for an earlier introduction to psychiatric ethi cs, the authors added ''An introduction to Psychiatric Ethics Through Literature'' seminar to their institution's first-year curriculum. The authors' primary objective was to increase the sensitivity of beginni ng psychiatric residents to ethical dilemmas. The Ii-session seminar w as co-led by a psychiatrist and a literary scholar. At each session, t he group discussed a shout story selected by the seminar leaders, with the discussion centering on ethical considerations raised by the stor y and their relevance to the practice of psychiatry. The residents gav e the seminar high ratings for its increasing their ethical sensitivit y and the stimulating content of the stories.