Euthanasia for mental illness explained

Euthanasia for mental illness involves a physician intentionally ending the life of a patient who has requested euthanasia due to a psychiatric condition. The practice is legal in Belgium,[1] the Netherlands,[2] Luxembourg,[3] Spain[4] and Colombia.[5] In Canada, legislation authorizing the procedure was passed, but has since been repeatedly postponed.[6]

The practice is considered controversial as unlike with other types of euthanasia, a patient euthanized for mental illness alone is usually not terminally ill, and may have their decisional capacity impeded by their condition.[7] [8] [9] It is also considered more difficult with psychological conditions to determine an objective prognosis, or whether a disorder is irremediable.[10] [11]

By country

Belgium

In Belgium, euthanasia for mental illness is legal if the patient is mentally competent to make the decision; the patient requests euthanasia on two separate occasions in writing; the patient is suffering from an incurable disease or mental illness, and all treatment options have been exhausted; and the patient is experiencing "unbearable suffering" from the illness, either physically or psychologically.[12] Three doctors must agree to grant euthanasia in psychiatric cases.[13] [14] Euthanasia for mental suffering is not available for children.[15]

As of 2017, approximately 40 patients per year received euthanasia due to mental illness, out of approximately 2,000 total yearly euthanasia deaths.[15]

In 2020, a Belgium court acquitted three doctors who had euthanized Tine Nys, a physically healthy 38-year-old woman with autism, of manslaughter charges.[16] Nys' sister Sophie Nys had filed a lawsuit alleging that the doctors did not properly attempt to treat her condition, and that Nys had not been incurably ill as the law required.[16]

Netherlands

Euthanasia for mental illness has been legal since 2002 in the Netherlands provided the patient has "unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement" and has requested to die in a way that is "voluntary, well considered and with full conviction", among other criteria.[17] [18] In 2020, the Supreme Court of the Netherlands ruled that physicians could euthanize patients with dementia if they had expressed a wish to die before the onset of their condition.[19]

The 2016 euthanasia of Eelco de Gooijer, a 38-year-old man from Tilburg who had depression and autism, was one of the first high-profile euthanasia cases involving a young person with a neurodevelopmental condition and mental illness.[18] [20]

In 2023, 138 people in the Netherlands received euthanasia due to psychiatric conditions, a 20% increase from 2022.[21] The first minor euthanized for a psychiatric condition (who was between 16 and 18-years-old) was in 2023.[21]

External links

Notes and References

  1. De Hert . Marc . Loos . Sien . Van Assche . Kristof . The Belgian euthanasia law under scrutiny of the highest courts . The Lancet Regional Health - Europe . Elsevier BV . 24 . 2023 . 2666-7762 . 10.1016/j.lanepe.2022.100549 . 100549. 10067/1925430151162165141 . free .
  2. van Veen . SMP . Widdershoven . GAM . Beekman . ATF . Evans . N. . Physician Assisted Death for Psychiatric Suffering: Experiences in the Netherlands . Frontiers in Psychiatry . Frontiers Media SA . 13 . 2022-06-20 . 1664-0640 . 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.895387 . free . 35795029 . 9251055 .
  3. Web site: Information on requesting euthanasia or assisted suicide . Guichet.lu . 2023-12-08 . 2024-04-21.
  4. Ramos-Pozón . Sergio . Terribas-Sala . Núria . Falcó-Pegueroles . Anna . Román-Maestre . Begoña . Begoña Román Maestre. Persons with mental disorders and assisted dying practices in Spain: An overview . International Journal of Law and Psychiatry . Elsevier BV . 87 . 2023 . 0160-2527 . 10.1016/j.ijlp.2023.101871 . 36871498 . 2445/195880 . free .
  5. Web site: Kuntz . Leah . First Colombian With Nonterminal Illness Legally Dies via Euthanasia . Psychiatric Times . 2022-01-10 . 2024-04-21.
  6. Web site: McCulloch . Craig . Canada Postpones Plan to Allow Euthanasia for Mentally Ill . Voice of America . 2024-02-09 . 2024-04-21.
  7. Web site: Yasgur . Batya Swift . Clinicians Talking: Euthanasia for SMI -- Right or Wrong? . Medscape . 2023-08-03 . 2024-04-21.
  8. Olié . Emilie . Courtet . Philippe . The Controversial Issue of Euthanasia in Patients With Psychiatric Illness . JAMA . American Medical Association (AMA) . 316 . 6 . 2016-08-09 . 656–657 . 0098-7484 . 10.1001/jama.2016.9883 . 27532920 .
  9. News: Lane . Charles . Europe's morality crisis: Euthanizing the mentally ill . Washington Post . 2016-10-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161202062139/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/europes-morality-crisis-euthanizing-the-mentally-ill/2016/10/19/c75faaca-961c-11e6-bc79-af1cd3d2984b_story.html?utm_term=.33acc8eb3b24 . 2016-12-02 . live . 2024-04-21.
  10. Nicolini . Marie E. . Jardas . EJ . Zarate . Carlos A. . Gastmans . Chris . Kim . Scott Y. H. . Irremediability in psychiatric euthanasia: examining the objective standard . Psychological Medicine . Cambridge University Press (CUP) . 53 . 12 . 2022-10-28 . 0033-2917 . 10.1017/s0033291722002951 . 5729–5747. 36305567 . 10482705 .
  11. Grassi . Luigi . Folesani . Federica . Marella . Marco . Tiberto . Elisa . Riba . Michelle B. . Bortolotti . Lisa . Toffanin . Tommaso . Palagini . Laura . Belvederi Murri . Martino . Biancosino . Bruno . Ferrara . Maria . Caruso . Rosangela . Debating Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Death in People with Psychiatric Disorders . Current Psychiatry Reports . Springer Science and Business Media LLC . 24 . 6 . 2022 . 1523-3812 . 10.1007/s11920-022-01339-y . 325–335. 35678920 . 9203391 . 11392/2493393 . free .
  12. Web site: Dying with dignity: The story of euthanasia in Belgium . The Bulletin . 2021-01-02 . 2024-04-21.
  13. Web site: it may have saved my life' . Sky News . 2020-08-24 . 2024-04-21.
  14. Aviv . Rachel . Who Has the Right to Die? . The New Yorker . 2015-06-15 . 2024-04-21.
  15. Web site: 'What could help me to die?' Doctors clash over euthanasia . STAT . 2017-10-26 . 2024-04-21.
  16. Web site: Peltier . Elian . Belgium Acquits Three Doctors in Landmark Euthanasia Case . The New York Times . 2020-01-31 . 2024-04-21.
  17. Web site: 'Dying With Dignity': Dutch Mark 20 Years of Euthanasia . Voice of America . 2022-04-01 . 2024-04-21.
  18. Web site: Death on Demand: Has Euthanasia Gone Too Far? . Pulitzer Center . 2019-01-18 . 2024-04-21.
  19. Web site: Dutch court approves euthanasia in cases of advanced dementia . the Guardian . 2020-04-21 . 2024-04-21.
  20. Web site: Chris . Theo . van Mersbergen . van de Zande . Eelco (38) uit Tilburg is psychisch lijden moe en kiest voor euthanasie (video) . bd.nl . 2016-10-28 . nl . 2024-06-16.
  21. Web site: Ferrer . Isabel . Debate ignites in the Netherlands over rise in euthanasia for mental disorders . EL PAÍS English . 2024-04-19 . 2024-04-21.

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