Patients' perspectives in high-risk medical decision-making

People faced with making risky treatment decisions in the context of life-threatening illness are typically well-informed about their disease, alternative courses of action, and the odds. But they often need help dealing with the emotional and mental challenges of making high-stakes decisions in unfamiliar areas on an accelerated timetable at a time of personal, existential threat. Reframing the situation can help such individuals transcend ingrained perspectives, freeing them from traditional ways of thinking and, in the process restoring their ability to decide, fostering the courage they so desperately need, and even instilling hope in the darkest of times.