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Verhofstadt M, Moureau L, Pardon K, Liégeois A. Ethical perspectives regarding Euthanasia, including in the context of adult psychiatry: a qualitative interview study among healthcare workers in Belgium. BMC Med Ethics 2024; 25:60. [PMID: 38773465 PMCID: PMC11107029 DOI: 10.1186/s12910-024-01063-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Previous research has explored euthanasia's ethical dimensions, primarily focusing on general practice and, to a lesser extent, psychiatry, mainly from the viewpoints of physicians and nurses. However, a gap exists in understanding the comprehensive value-based perspectives of other professionals involved in both somatic and psychiatric euthanasia. This paper aims to analyze the interplay among legal, medical, and ethical factors to clarify how foundational values shape the ethical discourse surrounding euthanasia in both somatic and psychiatric contexts. It seeks to explore these dynamics among all healthcare professionals and volunteers in Belgium. METHODS Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 Dutch-speaking healthcare workers who had encountered patients requesting euthanasia for psychiatric conditions, in Belgium, from August 2019 to August 2020. Qualitative thematic analysis was applied to the interview transcripts. FINDINGS Participants identified three pivotal values and virtues: religious values, professional values, and fundamental medical values encompassing autonomy, beneficence, and non-maleficence, linked to compassion, quality care, and justice. These values interwove across four tiers: the patient, the patient's inner circle, the medical realm, and society at large. Irrespective of their euthanasia stance, participants generally displayed a blend of ethical values across these tiers. Their euthanasia perspective was primarily shaped by value interpretation, significance allocation to key components, and tier weighting. Explicit mention of varying ethical values, potentially indicating distinct stances in favor of or against euthanasia, was infrequent. CONCLUSION The study underscores ethical discourse's central role in navigating euthanasia's intricate landscape. Fostering inclusive dialogue, bridging diverse values, supports informed decision-making, nurturing justice, and empathy. Tailored end-of-life healthcare in psychiatry is essential, acknowledging all involved actors' needs. The study calls for interdisciplinary research to comprehensively grasp euthanasia's multifaceted dimensions, and guiding policy evolution. While contextualized in Belgium, the implications extend to the broader euthanasia discourse, suggesting avenues for further inquiry and cross-cultural exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Verhofstadt
- End-of-life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) & Ghent University, Laarbeeklaan 103, Brussels, 1090, Belgium.
| | - Loïc Moureau
- Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, KU Leuven, Louvain, Belgium
| | - Koen Pardon
- End-of-life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) & Ghent University, Laarbeeklaan 103, Brussels, 1090, Belgium
| | - Axel Liégeois
- Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, KU Leuven, Louvain, Belgium
- Organisation Brothers of Charity, Ghent, Belgium
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Bastidas-Bilbao H, Castle D, Gupta M, Stergiopoulos V, Hawke LD. Medical assistance in dying for mental illness: a complex intervention requiring a correspondingly complex evaluation approach. Br J Psychiatry 2024:1-4. [PMID: 38433599 DOI: 10.1192/bjp.2024.21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
Medical assistance in dying for mental illness as a sole underlying medical condition (MAiD MI-SUMC) is a controversial and complex policy in terms of psychosocial and ethical medical practice implications. We discuss the status of MAiD MI-SUMC in Canada and argue for the use of the UK Medical Research Council's framework on complex interventions in programme evaluations of MAiD MI-SUMC. It is imperative to carefully and rigorously evaluate the implementation of MAiD MI-SUMC to ensure an understanding of the multiple facets of implementation in contexts permeated by unique social, economic, cultural and historical influences, with a correspondingly diverse array of outcomes. This requires a complexity-informed programme evaluation focused on context-dependent mechanisms and stakeholder experiences, including patients, service providers and other people affected by the policy. It is also important to consider the economic impact on health and social welfare systems. Such evaluations can provide the data needed to guide evidence-informed decision-making that can contribute to safer implementation and refinement of MAiD MI-SUMC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamer Bastidas-Bilbao
- Centre for Complex Interventions, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - David Castle
- Centre for Complex Interventions, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mona Gupta
- Département de psychiatrie, Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Vicky Stergiopoulos
- Centre for Complex Interventions, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lisa D Hawke
- Centre for Complex Interventions, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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3
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Stergiopoulos V, Bastidas-Bilbao H, Gupta M, Buchman DZ, Stewart DE, Rajji T, Simpson AIF, van Kesteren MR, Cappe V, Castle D, Shields R, Hawke LD. Care considerations in medical assistance in dying for persons with mental illness as the sole underlying medical condition: a qualitative study of patient and family perspectives. BMC Psychiatry 2024; 24:120. [PMID: 38355467 PMCID: PMC10865571 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-024-05541-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Persons with mental illness as their sole underlying medical condition are eligible to access medical assistance in dying (MAiD) in a small number of countries, including Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxemburg and Switzerland. In Canada, it is anticipated that people experiencing mental illness as their sole underlying medical condition (MI-SUMC) will be eligible to request MAiD as of March 17th 2024. To date, few studies have addressed patient and family perspectives on MAiD MI-SUMC care processes. This study aimed to address this gap and qualitatively explore the perspectives of persons with lived experience of mental illness and family members on care considerations during MI-SUMC implementation. METHODS Thirty adults with lived experience of mental illness and 25 adult family members residing in Ontario participated in this study. To facilitate participant engagement, the semi-structured interview used a persona-scenario exercise to discuss perspectives on MAiD MI-SUMC acceptability and care considerations. Framework analysis was used to inductively analyze data using NVivo 12 Pro. Steps, processes, or other care considerations suggested by the participants were charted in a framework matrix after familiarization with the narratives. Key themes were further identified. A lived-experience advisory group participated in every aspect of this study. RESULTS Six themes were developed from the patient and family narratives: (1) Raising MAiD MI-SUMC awareness; (2) Sensitive Introduction of MAiD MI-SUMC in goals of care discussions; (3) Asking for MAiD MI-SUMC: a person-focused response; (4) A comprehensive circle of MAiD MI-SUMC care; (5) A holistic, person-centered assessment process; and (6) Need for support in the aftermath of the decision. These themes highlighted a congruence of views between patient and family members and described key desired process ingredients, including a person-centred non-judgmental stance by care providers, inter-professional holistic care, shared decision making, and the primacy of patient autonomy in healthcare decision making. CONCLUSIONS Family and patient perspectives on the implementation of MAiD MI-SUMC offer important considerations for service planning that could complement existing and emerging professional practice standards. These stakeholders' perspectives will continue to be essential in MAiD MI-SUMC implementation efforts, to better address the needs of diverse communities and inform improvement efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vicky Stergiopoulos
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | | | - Mona Gupta
- Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Daniel Z Buchman
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Donna E Stewart
- University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Tarek Rajji
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Alexander I F Simpson
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Vivien Cappe
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - David Castle
- University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
- Statewide Mental Health Service, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Roslyn Shields
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lisa D Hawke
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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4
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Bastidas-Bilbao H, Stergiopoulos V, Cappe V, van Kesteren MR, Stewart DE, Gupta M, Simpson AIF, Dawthorne M, Rajji TK, Castle D, Hawke LD. Walking Alongside: Views of Family Members on Medical Assistance in Dying for Mental Illness as the Sole Underlying Medical Condition. QUALITATIVE HEALTH RESEARCH 2023; 33:1140-1153. [PMID: 37773095 PMCID: PMC10626980 DOI: 10.1177/10497323231197365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
Medical assistance in dying (MAiD) was introduced into Canadian federal legislation in 2016. Mental illness as the sole underlying medical condition (MI-SUMC) is currently excluded from eligibility; such exclusion is scheduled to expire on March 17, 2024. Irremediability, capacity, quality of life, autonomy, family involvement, and healthcare system constraints have been debated intensively. Recent studies have not explored the views of family members of persons with mental illness on MAiD MI-SUMC. This study aimed to fill this knowledge gap. Twenty-five Ontario residents who had a loved one with mental illness participated. A persona-scenario exercise was designed to explore participants' views on MAiD MI-SUMC in hypothetical situations. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. A lived experience-advisory panel was engaged throughout the study. Seven themes were developed: Witnessing suffering; A road with barriers and limitations; Societal barriers; The unknowns of mental illness; Individual choices: the life or death that a person wants; MAiD MI-SUMC as an acceptable choice when suffering cannot be relieved with available treatments and supports; and The emotional outcome. Participants constructed their views based on their experience of supporting a loved one with mental illness. MAiD MI-SUMC was perceived as a multifaceted issue, whose acceptability and potential introduction required a concurrent exploration and discussion of the challenges arising due to limitations of the healthcare system, the opportunities and limits to family involvement, and the value of patient autonomy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Vicky Stergiopoulos
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
- University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Vivien Cappe
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | - Donna E. Stewart
- University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Mona Gupta
- Centre Hospitalier de L'Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Alexander I. F. Simpson
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
- University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | - Tarek K. Rajji
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
- University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - David Castle
- University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia
- Statewide Mental Health Service, Hobart, TAS, Australia
| | - Lisa D. Hawke
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
- University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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5
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Favron-Godbout C, Racine E. Medical assistance in dying for people living with mental disorders: a qualitative thematic review. BMC Med Ethics 2023; 24:86. [PMID: 37875867 PMCID: PMC10594804 DOI: 10.1186/s12910-023-00971-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Medical assistance in dying (MAiD) sparks debate in several countries, some of which allow or plan to allow MAiD where a mental disorder is the sole underlying medical condition (MAiD-MD). Since MAiD-MD is becoming permissible in a growing number of jurisdictions, there is a need to better understand the moral concerns related to this option. Gaining a better understanding of the moral concerns at stake is a first step towards identifying ways of addressing them so that MAiD-MD can be successfully introduced and implemented, where legislations allow it. METHODS Thus, this article aims (1) to better understand the moral concerns regarding MAiD-MD, and (2) to identify potential solutions to promote stakeholders' well-being. A qualitative thematic review was undertaken, which used systematic keyword-driven search and thematic analysis of content. Seventy-four publications met the inclusion criteria. RESULTS Various moral concerns and proposed solutions were identified and are related to how MAiD-MD is introduced in 5 contexts: (1) Societal context, (2) Healthcare system, (3) Continuum of care, (4) Discussions on the option of MAiD-MD, (5) MAiD-MD practices. We propose this classification of the identified moral concerns because it helps to better understand the various facets of discomfort experienced with MAiD-MD. In so doing, it also directs the various actions to be taken to alleviate these discomforts and promote the well-being of stakeholders. CONCLUSION The assessment of MAiD-MD applications, which is part of the context of MAiD-MD practices, emerges as the most widespread source of concern. Addressing the moral concerns arising in the five contexts identified could help ease concerns regarding the assessment of MAiD-MD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Favron-Godbout
- Pragmatic Health Ethics Research Unit, Montreal Clinical Research Institute, 110 av. des Pins O, Montreal, QC, H2W 1R7, Canada
| | - Eric Racine
- Pragmatic Health Ethics Research Unit, Montreal Clinical Research Institute, 110 av. des Pins O, Montreal, QC, H2W 1R7, Canada.
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Garel N, Nazon M, Naghi K, Willis E, Looper K, Rej S, Greenway KT. Ketamine for depression: a potential role in requests for Medical Aid in Dying? Int Clin Psychopharmacol 2023; 38:352-355. [PMID: 37159173 DOI: 10.1097/yic.0000000000000462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD) is the act of a healthcare provider ending a patient's life, at their request, due to unbearable suffering from a grievous and incurable disease. Access to MAiD has expanded in the last decade and, more recently, it has been made available for psychiatric illnesses in a few countries. Recent studies have found that such psychiatric requests are rapidly increasing and primarily involve mood disorders as the primary condition. Nevertheless, MAiD for psychiatric disorders is associated with significant controversy and debate, especially regarding the definition and determination of irremediability - that a given patient lacks any reasonable prospect for recovery. In this article, we report the case of a Canadian patient who was actively requesting Medical Assistance in Dying for severe and prolonged treatment-resistant depression until she experienced remarkable benefits from a course of intravenous ketamine infusions. To our knowledge, this is the first report of ketamine or any other intervention yielding remission in a patient who would have otherwise likely been eligible for MAiD for depression. We discuss implications for the evaluation of similar requests and, more specifically, why a trial of ketamine warrants consideration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Garel
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Ludmer Research and Training Building
| | | | - Kamran Naghi
- Department of Psychiatry, Jewish General Hospital
| | - Elena Willis
- Department of Psychiatry, Jewish General Hospital
| | - Karl Looper
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Ludmer Research and Training Building
- Department of Psychiatry, Jewish General Hospital
| | - Soham Rej
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Ludmer Research and Training Building
- Department of Psychiatry, Jewish General Hospital
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill Meditation and Mind-Body Medicine Research Clinic and Geri-PARTy Research Group, Lady Davis Research Institute and Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Kyle T Greenway
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Ludmer Research and Training Building
- Department of Psychiatry, Jewish General Hospital
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill Meditation and Mind-Body Medicine Research Clinic and Geri-PARTy Research Group, Lady Davis Research Institute and Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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7
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Bastidas-Bilbao H, Stergiopoulos V, van Kesteren MR, Stewart DE, Cappe V, Gupta M, Buchman DZ, Simpson AIF, Castle D, Campbell BH, Hawke LD. Searching for relief from suffering: A patient-oriented qualitative study on medical assistance in dying for mental illness as the sole underlying medical condition. Soc Sci Med 2023; 331:116075. [PMID: 37441977 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Revised: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
Medical assistance in dying (MAiD) was introduced into Canadian legislation in 2016. Mental illness as the sole underlying medical condition (MI-SUMC) is excluded from eligibility; this is expected to change in 2024. Incurability, intolerable suffering, capacity to make healthcare decisions, and suicidality have been publicly debated in connection with mental illness. Few studies have explored the views of persons with mental illness on the introduction and acceptability of MAiD MI-SUMC; this study aimed to fill this gap. Thirty adults, residing in Ontario, Canada, who self-identified as living with mental illness participated. A semi-structured interview including a persona-scenario exercise was designed to discuss participants' views on MAiD MI-SUMC and when it could be acceptable or not. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to inductively analyze data. Codes and themes were developed after extensive familiarization with the dataset. A lived-experience advisory group was engaged throughout the study. We identified six themes: The certainty of suffering; Is there a suffering threshold to be met? The uncertainty of mental illness; My own limits, values, and decisions; MAiD MI-SUMCas acceptable when therapeutic means, and othersupports, have been tried to alleviate long-term suffering; and Between relief and rejection. These themes underline how the participants' lived experience comprised negative impacts caused by long-term mental illness, stigma, and in some cases, socioeconomic factors. The need for therapeutic and non-therapeutic supports was highlighted, along with unresolved tensions about the links between mental illness, capacity, and suicidality. Although not all participants viewed MAiD MI-SUMC as acceptable for mental illness, they autonomously embraced limits, values, and decisions of their own along their search for relief. Identifying individual and contextual elements in each person's experience of illness and suffering is necessary to understand diverse perspectives on MAiD MI-SUMC.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Vicky Stergiopoulos
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Donna Eileen Stewart
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Centre for Mental Health and Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Vivien Cappe
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mona Gupta
- Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Département de Psychiatrie, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Daniel Z Buchman
- Education and Professional Practice Office, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Dalla Lana School of Public Health and University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Alexander I F Simpson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Forensic Division, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - David Castle
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Lisa D Hawke
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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Peereboom J. Implications of psychiatric diagnosis for Voluntary Assisted Dying in Victoria. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 2023; 57:629-635. [PMID: 36752078 DOI: 10.1177/00048674231154200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
Voluntary Assisted Dying is a process whereby terminally ill patients are provided a lethal dose of medication for them to voluntarily ingest to end their life. Victoria, Australia, implemented legislation permitting Voluntary Assisted Dying for terminally ill adult patients with a life expectancy less than 6 months. Ethical dilemmas arise when terminally ill patients with a comorbid mental illness attempt to access Voluntary Assisted Dying because of the complex relationship between psychiatric conditions and suicidal ideation. This paper seeks to investigate the most ethical approach for doctors to respond to such a request by discussing objections raised in other literature to patients with a comorbid psychiatric illness aiming to access Voluntary Assisted Dying in Victoria. To answer this question, objections to terminally ill patients with a comorbid psychiatric illness accessing Voluntary Assisted Dying were found through review of literature. Discussion of these objections centred around unpacking the two historical ethical justifications for Voluntary Assisted Dying: respect for autonomy and relief of suffering. Regarding autonomy, contention focused on competency to make autonomous decisions. Not all psychiatric patients lack competency to decide about Voluntary Assisted Dying, and there are comparable competency assessments used in psychiatry today. Considering suffering, objections related to the authenticity of the intolerable nature of a patient's suffering out of concerns that it has been influenced by their condition, and that the psychiatric illness may still be treatable. However, given suffering is subjective, its perception is not lessened if the source is psychological in nature. Furthermore, it is challenging to justify a position where a patient is forced to spend the last months of their life enduring suffering that has been historically refractory to multiple, genuine treatment efforts. Not all terminally ill patients with a comorbid psychiatric disorder will lack competency to choose Voluntary Assisted Dying, and many will have genuine suffering for which they are requesting Voluntary Assisted Dying. Multidisciplinary, holistic assessments for these patients are not mandated, but would be useful to address the issues, overcome barriers to access and determine that applicants are making an authentic request.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jim Peereboom
- The Centre of Health Equity, School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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9
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Tambakis J, Kaldijian L, Goligher EC. The religious character of secular arguments supporting euthanasia and what it implies for conscientious practice in medicine. THEORETICAL MEDICINE AND BIOETHICS 2023; 44:57-74. [PMID: 36449202 DOI: 10.1007/s11017-022-09602-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Contemporary bioethics generally stipulates that public moral deliberation must avoid allowing religious beliefs to influence or justify health policy and law. Secular premises and arguments are assumed to maintain the neutral, common ground required for moral deliberation in the public square of a pluralistic society. However, a careful examination of non-theistic arguments used to justify euthanasia (regarding contested notions of human dignity, individual autonomy, and death as annihilation) reveals a dependence on metaethical and metaphysical beliefs that are not universally accepted in a pluralistic society. Such beliefs function in non-theistic arguments in the same way that foundational beliefs justify moral convictions in religious frameworks of belief. This parallel is apparent when religious belief is defined broadly (a la John Reeder) as 'the search for the good in light of the limits and possibilities of the real.' Seen through this interpretive lens, frameworks comprising Secular foundational commitments function, in ethically relevant respects, like the guiding beliefs found in the comprehensive frameworks of traditional religions. When conscientious practice in healthcare is reconsidered in light of this foundational similarity between the religious and the secular, it is clear that those who object to the foundational beliefs underpinning Secular arguments for euthanasia should not be required to provide, participate in, or refer patients for euthanasia (or other ethically controversial practices similarly dependent on contested frameworks of belief) in pluralistic societies that prize moral freedom as a primary human good.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Tambakis
- Department of Medicine, Division of Respirology, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada
| | - Lauris Kaldijian
- Program in Bioethics and Humanities, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa, United States
| | - Ewan C Goligher
- Department of Medicine, Division of Respirology, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.
- Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
- Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, Toronto, Canada.
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10
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Westermair AL, Buchman DZ, Levitt S, Perrar KM, Trachsel M. Palliative psychiatry in a narrow and in a broad sense: A concept clarification. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 2022; 56:1535-1541. [PMID: 35999690 PMCID: PMC9679794 DOI: 10.1177/00048674221114784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Even with optimal treatment, some persons with severe and persistent mental illness do not achieve a level of mental health, psychosocial functioning and quality of life that is acceptable to them. With each unsuccessful treatment attempt, the probability of achieving symptom reduction declines while the probability of somatic and psychological side effects increases. This worsening benefit-harm ratio of treatment aiming at symptom reduction has motivated calls for implementing palliative approaches to care into psychiatry (palliative psychiatry). Palliative psychiatry accepts that some cases of severe and persistent mental illness can be irremediable and calls for a careful evaluation of goals of care in these cases. It aims at reducing harm, relieving suffering and thus improving quality of life directly, working around irremediable psychiatric symptoms. In a narrow sense, this refers to patients likely to die of their severe and persistent mental illness soon, but palliative psychiatry in a broad sense is not limited to end-of-life care. It can - and often should - be integrated with curative and rehabilitative approaches, as is the gold standard in somatic medicine. Palliative psychiatry constitutes a valuable addition to established non-curative approaches such as rehabilitative psychiatry (which focuses on psychosocial functioning instead of quality of life) and personal recovery (a journey that persons living with severe and persistent mental illness may undertake, not necessarily accompanied by mental health care professionals). Although the implementation of palliative psychiatry is met with several challenges such as difficulties regarding decision-making capacity and prognostication in severe and persistent mental illness, it is a promising new approach in caring for persons with severe and persistent mental illness, regardless of whether they are at the end of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna L Westermair
- Institute of Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine, University of Zurich (UZH), Zurich, Switzerland,Clinical Ethics Unit, University Hospital Basel (USB), University Psychiatric Clinics Basel (UPK) and Geriatric University Hospital Basel (UAFP), Basel, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Z Buchman
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada,Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada,University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Sarah Levitt
- University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada,Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Klaus M Perrar
- Department of Palliative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Manuel Trachsel
- Institute of Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine, University of Zurich (UZH), Zurich, Switzerland,Clinical Ethics Unit, University Hospital Basel (USB), University Psychiatric Clinics Basel (UPK) and Geriatric University Hospital Basel (UAFP), Basel, Switzerland,Manuel Trachsel, Institute of Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine, University of Zurich (UZH), Winterthurerstrasse 30, CH-8006 Zürich, Switzerland.
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11
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Bahji A, Delva N. Making a case for the inclusion of refractory and severe mental illness as a sole criterion for Canadians requesting medical assistance in dying (MAiD): a review. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ETHICS 2022; 48:929-934. [PMID: 33849958 DOI: 10.1136/medethics-2020-107133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Revised: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Following several landmark rulings and increasing public support for physician-assisted death, in 2016, Canada became one of a handful of countries legalising medical assistance in dying (MAiD) with Bill C-14. However, the revised Bill C-7 proposes the specific exclusion of MAiD where a mental disorder is the sole underlying medical condition (MAiD MD-SUMC). AIM This review explores how some persons with serious and persistent mental illness (SPMI) could meet sensible and just criteria for MAiD under the Canadian legislative framework. METHODS We review the proposed Bill C-7 criteria (capacity, voluntariness, irremediability and suffering) as well as the nuances involved in separating a well-reasoned request for assisted suicide from what might be solely a manifestation of a SPMI. FINDINGS In this paper, we argue against the absolute exclusion of patients with SPMIs from accessing MAiD. Instead, we propose that in some circumstances, MAiD MD-SUMC may be justifiable while remaining the last resort. Conducting MAiD eligibility assessments removes the need to introduce diagnosis-specific language into MAiD legislation. Competent psychiatric patients who request MAiD should not be treated any differently from other eligible candidates. Many individuals with psychiatric disorders will be incapable of consenting to MAiD. The only ethical option is to assess eligibility for MAiD on an individual basis and include as legitimate candidates those who suffer solely from psychiatric illness who have the decisional capacity to consent to MAiD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anees Bahji
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Nicholas Delva
- Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
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12
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Kirby J. Interpreting Irremediability When a Mental Health Disorder is the Sole-qualifying Medical Condition for MAiD. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS 2022. [DOI: 10.7202/1094700ar] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
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13
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van Veen S, Widdershoven G, Beekman A, Evans N. Physician Assisted Death for Psychiatric Suffering: Experiences in the Netherlands. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:895387. [PMID: 35795029 PMCID: PMC9251055 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.895387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Physician assisted death (PAD) for patients with a psychiatric disorder is a controversial topic of increasing relevance, since a growing number of countries are allowing it. General requirements for PAD include that patients possess decision-making capacity to decide on PAD and that their suffering is unbearable and irremediable. In the Netherlands PAD has been eligible for patients with psychiatric disorders since the 1990s, making it one of the few countries that can offer insights on the practice from real life experience. Much of the literature describing these experiences is only available in Dutch. This article aims to make this knowledge more widely available and provide a comprehensive overview of the experience with PAD for psychiatric suffering in the Netherlands. First, the history of PAD for patients suffering from a psychiatric disorder is described. Second, an overview of relevant rules and regulations governing the practice is given. Third, an overview is provided of the scarce epidemiological data. Finally, we will discuss two major clinical challenges; establishing irremediability and decision-making capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Smp van Veen
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands.,Department of Ethics, Law and Humanities, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands.,113 Suicide Prevention, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Gam Widdershoven
- Department of Ethics, Law and Humanities, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Atf Beekman
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - N Evans
- Department of Ethics, Law and Humanities, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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14
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Over the last 30 years, medical assistance in dying (MAiD) including euthanasia (EU) and physician-assisted death (or suicide, PAS) has become the center of a large debate, particularly when these practices have involved people with psychiatric illness, including resistant depression, schizophrenia, personality, or other severe psychiatric disorders. We performed a review utilizing several databases, and by including the most relevant studies in full journal articles investigating the problem of MAiD in patients with psychiatric disorders but not in physical terminal conditions (non-terminal, MAiD-NT). RECENT FINDINGS Literature has shown that a small percentage of people with psychiatric disorders died by MAiD-NT in comparison with patients with somatic diseases in terminal clinical conditions (e.g., cancer, AIDS). However, the problem in the field is complex and not solved yet as confirmed by the fact that only a few countries (e.g., the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg) have legalized MAiD-NT for patients with psychiatric disorders, while most have maintained the practices accessible only to people with somatic disease in a terminal phase. Also, how to make objective the criterion of irremediability of a mental disorder; how to balance suicide prevention with assisted suicide; how to avoid the risk of progressively including in requests for MAiD-NT vulnerable segments of the population, such as minors, elderly, or people with dementia, in a productive-oriented society, are some of the critical points to be discussed. The application of MAiD-NT in people with psychiatric disorders should be further explored to prevent end-of-life rights from contradicting the principles of recovery-oriented care.
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15
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Allard J, Ballesteros F, Fortin MC. Québec health care professionals' perspectives on organ donation after medical assistance in dying. BMC Med Ethics 2021; 22:23. [PMID: 33663501 PMCID: PMC7934363 DOI: 10.1186/s12910-021-00594-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Medical assistance in dying (MAID) has been legal in Québec since December 2015 and in the rest of Canada since July 2016. Since then, more than 60 people have donated their organs after MAID. Such donations raise ethical issues about respect of patients’ autonomy, potential pressure to choose MAID, the information given to potential donors, the acceptability of directed donations in such a context and the possibility of death by donation. The objective of this study was to explore Québec professionals’ perspectives on the ethical issues related to organ donation after MAID. Methods We conducted semi-directed interviews with 21 health care professionals involved in organ donation such as intensivists and intensive care nurses, operating room nurses, organ donation nurses and coordinators. Results The participants were all favourable to organ donation after MAID in order to respect patients’ autonomy. They also favoured informing all potential donors of the possibility of donating organs. They highlighted the importance of assessing donors’ reasons for requesting MAID during the assessment. They were divided on directed donation, living donation before MAID and death by donation. Conclusion Organ donation after MAID was widely accepted among the participants, based on the principle of respect for the donor’s autonomy. The findings of this study only provide the perspectives of Québec health care professionals involved in organ donation. Future studies are needed to gather other stakeholders’ perspectives on this issue as well as patients’ and families’ experiences of organ donation after MAID.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Allard
- Bioethics Program, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, École de Santé Publique de l'Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada.,Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Fabian Ballesteros
- Department of Medicine, Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), 900, rue Saint-Denis, R12-418, Montréal, QC, H2X 0A9, Canada
| | - Marie-Chantal Fortin
- Bioethics Program, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, École de Santé Publique de l'Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada. .,Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program, Edmonton, Canada. .,Department of Medicine, Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), 900, rue Saint-Denis, R12-418, Montréal, QC, H2X 0A9, Canada.
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16
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Levitt S, Buchman DZ. Applying futility in psychiatry: a concept whose time has come. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ETHICS 2020; 47:medethics-2020-106654. [PMID: 33443107 DOI: 10.1136/medethics-2020-106654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 09/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/15/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Since its introduction in the 1980s, futility as a concept has held contested meaning and applications throughout medicine. There has been little discussion within the psychiatric literature about the use of futility in the care of individuals experiencing severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI), despite some tacit acceptance that futility may apply in certain cases of psychiatric illness. In this paper, we explore the literature surrounding futility and argue that its connotation within medicine is to describe situations where patients (or their substitute decision-makers) believe that interventions will almost certainly provide no meaningful benefit. We then provide two arguments in support of the use of futility within the care of individuals experiencing SPMI: that some SPMI can be considered a terminal illness, and that the risk-benefit ratio is a dynamic entity such that futility can help describe what Gillett calls the 'risk of unacceptable badness' when it comes to considering how an intervention might impact a patient's quality of life. We posit that capacity should not pose an obstacle to declaring futility when caring for individuals experiencing SPMI and explain how futility is not antithetical to recovery in mental health. Finally, we describe how using futility within psychiatric practice can allow for a reorientation of care by signalling the need to shift to a palliative approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Levitt
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Daniel Z Buchman
- Department of Bioethics, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Joint Centre for Bioethics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Krembil Research Institute, Unviersity Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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17
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Dembo J, van Veen S, Widdershoven G. The influence of cognitive distortions on decision-making capacity for physician aid in dying. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LAW AND PSYCHIATRY 2020; 72:101627. [PMID: 32950802 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijlp.2020.101627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2020] [Revised: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 08/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
As international laws on physician aid in dying (PAD) evolve, the question of permitting PAD in non-terminal illness, and in sole psychiatric illness, is under intense debate. In jurisdictions where PAD is permissible, certain safeguards and eligibility requirements must be met for all patients making a PAD request, and one of these requirements is that the patient have sound decision-making capacity with respect to the request. Legal criteria already exist for the determination of capacity, and they are quite similar between different jurisdictions. In current debates about the question of psychiatric PAD, one concern that has been raised is that cognitive distortions in mental disorders may affect a patient's decision-making capacity. At the same time, it has been established that all persons, with or without a mental disorder, experience cognitive distortions. If cognitive distortions are ubiquitous, it is likely that the severity and frequency of cognitive distortions is dimensional rather than categorical, between samples with and without mental illness. Furthermore, currently, there is no requirement for a formalized evaluation of cognitive distortions as part of capacity assessment for any type of medical decision, including PAD decisions. The current paper examines the literature related to cognitive distortions in mental disorders and in healthy populations. It proposes that the existence of cognitive distortions, alone, cannot be used as an argument for a blanket exclusion of psychiatric PAD. It therefore concludes that further research and ethical analysis should be undertaken to examine the impact of cognitive distortions on decision-making for consequential medical decisions, including PAD, in patients with and without mental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justine Dembo
- Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
| | - Sisco van Veen
- GGZinGeest, Amsterdam University Medical Centres, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Guy Widdershoven
- Amsterdam University Medical Centres, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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18
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van Veen SMP, Ruissen AM, Widdershoven GAM. Irremediable Psychiatric Suffering in the Context of Physician-assisted Death: A Scoping Review of Arguments: La souffrance psychiatrique irrémédiable dans le contexte du suicide assisté : Une revue étendue des arguments. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY. REVUE CANADIENNE DE PSYCHIATRIE 2020; 65:593-603. [PMID: 32427501 PMCID: PMC7457463 DOI: 10.1177/0706743720923072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Physician-assisted death (PAD), also known as medical assistance in dying, of patients with a psychiatric disorder (PPD) is a global issue of debate. In most jurisdictions that allow PAD, irremediable suffering is a legal requirement, how to apply the concept of irremediability to PPD remains challenging. The aim of this article is to identify the main arguments concerning irremediability in the debate about PAD of PPD and give directions for further moral deliberation and empirical research. METHODS Systematic searches in MEDLINE, Embase, and PsycINFO were combined with 4 additional search strategies. All conceptual-ethical articles, quantitative and qualitative empirical studies, guidelines, case reports, and commentaries that met the inclusion criteria were included, and a qualitative data synthesis was used to identify recurring themes within the literature. The study protocol was preregistered at the Open Science Framework under registration code: thjg8. RESULTS A total of 50 articles met the inclusion criteria. Three main arguments concerning irremediability were found in the debate about PAD of PPD: uncertainty, hope, and treatment refusal. CONCLUSIONS Uncertainty about irremediability is inevitable, so which level of certainty is morally required should be the subject of moral deliberation. Whether PAD induces or resolves hopelessness is an empirical claim that deserves clarification. Treatment refusal in search of PAD raises questions about treatment efficacy in this patient group and about decision-making in the context of the physician-patient relationship. Going forward, more attention should be given to epidemiological research and to specific challenges posed by different psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sisco M. P. van Veen
- Department of Medical Humanities, University Medical Centre
Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Centre Utrecht, the
Netherlands
| | - Andrea M. Ruissen
- Department of Medical Humanities, University Medical Centre
Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Haaglanden MC, the Hague, the Netherlands
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19
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Dorji N, Lapierre S, Dransart DAC. Perception of Medical Assistance in Dying Among Asian Buddhists Living in Montreal, Canada. OMEGA-JOURNAL OF DEATH AND DYING 2020; 85:579-603. [PMID: 32830598 DOI: 10.1177/0030222820948645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In the Western world including Canada, grievous and irredeemable health conditions, which cause unbearable suffering, has given support to the legalization of medical aid in dying (MAiD). It is unknown how Asian Buddhists who are in contact with the Western culture perceive MAiD. In this qualitative study, 16 Asian Buddhists living in Montreal took part in a semi-structured interview. Contrary to general findings in the literature, religious affiliation do not always determine moral stances and practical decisions when it comes to MAiD. Some participants were willing to take some freedom with the doctrine and based their approval of MAiD on the right to self-determination. Those who disapproved the use of MAiD perceived it as causing unnatural death, creating bad karma, and interfering with a conscious death. End-of-life (EoL) care providers have to remain sensitive to each patient's spiritual principles and beliefs to understand their needs and choices for EoL care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nidup Dorji
- Faculty of Human Sciences, Centre for Research and Intervention on Suicide, Ethical Issues and End-of-Life Practices, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada.,Department of Public Health, Faculty of Nursing and Public Health, Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences of Bhutan
| | - Sylvie Lapierre
- Faculty of Human Sciences, Centre for Research and Intervention on Suicide, Ethical Issues and End-of-Life Practices, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada.,Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivieres, Canada
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20
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Nicolini ME, Kim SYH, Churchill ME, Gastmans C. Should euthanasia and assisted suicide for psychiatric disorders be permitted? A systematic review of reasons. Psychol Med 2020; 50:1241-1256. [PMID: 32482180 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291720001543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Euthanasia and assisted suicide (EAS) based on a psychiatric disorder (psychiatric EAS) continue to pose ethical and policy challenges, even in countries where the practice has been allowed for years. We conducted a systematic review of reasons, a specific type of review for bioethical questions designed to inform rational policy-making. Our aims were twofold: (1) to systematically identify all published reasons for and against the practice (2) to identify current gaps in the debate and areas for future research. METHODS Following the PRISMA guidelines, we performed a search across seven electronic databases to include publications focusing on psychiatric EAS and providing ethical reasons. Reasons were grouped into domains by qualitative content analysis. RESULTS We included 42 articles, most of which were written after 2013. Articles in favor and against were evenly distributed. Articles in favor were mostly full-length pieces written by non-clinicians, with articles against mostly reactive, commentary-type pieces written by clinicians. Reasons were categorized into eight domains: (1) mental and physical illness and suffering (2) decisional capacity (3) irremediability (4) goals of medicine and psychiatry (5) consequences for mental health care (6) psychiatric EAS and suicide (7) self-determination and authenticity (8) psychiatric EAS and refusal of life-sustaining treatment. Parity- (or discrimination-) based reasons were dominant across domains, mostly argued for by non-clinicians, while policy reasons were mostly pointed to by clinicians. CONCLUSIONS The ethical debate about psychiatric EAS is relatively young, with prominent reasons of parity. More direct engagement is needed to address ethical and policy considerations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie E Nicolini
- Center for Biomedical Ethics and Law, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 35 - Box 7001 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Bioethics, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive, Room 1C118, Bethesda, Maryland20892, USA
| | - Scott Y H Kim
- Department of Bioethics, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive, Room 1C118, Bethesda, Maryland20892, USA
| | - Madison E Churchill
- Department of Bioethics, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive, Room 1C118, Bethesda, Maryland20892, USA
| | - Chris Gastmans
- Center for Biomedical Ethics and Law, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 35 - Box 7001 3000 Leuven, Belgium
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21
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Montreuil M, Séguin M, Gros CP, Racine E. Survey of Mental Health Care Providers’ Perspectives on the Everyday Ethics of Medical-Aid-in-Dying for People with a Mental Illness. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS 2020. [DOI: 10.7202/1070236ar] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Context: In most jurisdictions where medical-aid-in-dying (MAiD) is available, this option is reserved for individuals suffering from incurable physical conditions. Currently, in Canada, people who have a mental illness are legally excluded from accessing MAiD. Methods: We developed a questionnaire for mental health care providers to better understand their perspectives related to ethical issues in relation to MAiD in the context of severe and persistent suffering caused by mental illness. We used a mixed-methods survey approach, using a concurrent embedded model with both closed and open-ended questions. Findings: 477 healthcare providers from the province of Québec (Canada) completed the questionnaire. One third of the sample (34.4%) were nurses, one quarter psychologists (24.3%) and one quarter psycho-educators (24%). Nearly half of the respondents (48.4%) considered that people with a severe mental illness should be granted the right to opt for MAiD as a way to end their suffering. Respondents were more likely to feel comfortable listening to the person and participating in discussions related to MAiD for a mental illness than offering care or the means for the person to access MAiD. Most (86.2%) reported that they had not received adequate/sufficient training, education or preparation in order to address ethical questions surrounding MAiD. Conclusions: The findings highlight how extending MAiD to people with a mental illness would affect daily practices for mental healthcare providers who work directly with people who may request MAiD. The survey results also reinforce the need for adequate training and professional education in this complex area of care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marjorie Montreuil
- Ingram School of Nursing, McGill University, Montreal; Quebec Network on Suicide, Mood Disorders and Related Disorders, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Verdun; Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Monique Séguin
- Quebec Network on Suicide, Mood Disorders and Related Disorders, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Verdun; Department of Psychology, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Gatineau, Québec, Canada
| | - Catherine P. Gros
- Ingram School of Nursing, McGill University, Montreal; Quebec Network on Suicide, Mood Disorders and Related Disorders, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Verdun, Québec, Canada
| | - Eric Racine
- Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal, Montréal; Université de Montréal, Montréal; McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada
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22
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Doebrich A, Quirici M, Lunsford C. COVID-19 and the need for disability conscious medical education, training, and practice. J Pediatr Rehabil Med 2020; 13:393-404. [PMID: 33252100 DOI: 10.3233/prm-200763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 era exposes what was already a crisis in the medical profession: structural racism, ageism, sexism, classism, and ableism resulting in healthcare disparities for Persons with Disabilities (PWD). Early research highlights these disparities, but we do not yet know the full impact of this pandemic on PWD. Over the last 20 years, many medical schools have attempted to develop disability competency trainings, but discrimination and inequities remain, resulting in a pervasive distrust of medicine by the disability community at large. In this commentary, we suggest that disability competency is insufficient because the healthcare disparities experienced by PWD are not simply a matter of individual biases, but structural and systemic factors requiring a culture shift in the healthcare professions. Recognizing that disability is a form of diversity that is experienced alongside other systemic disadvantages like social class, race, age, sex, gender identity, and geographic location, we explore the transformative potential of disability conscious medical education, training, and practice that draws on insights from intersectional disability justice activism. Disability conscious medicine is a novel approach, which improves upon competency programs by utilizing disability studies and the principles of disability justice to guide us in the critique of norms, traditions, and institutions to more fully promote the respect, beneficence, and justice that patients deserve.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrienne Doebrich
- School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Marion Quirici
- Thompson Writing Program, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Christopher Lunsford
- Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Orthopaedics and Department of Pediatrics, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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23
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Nicolini ME, Gastmans C, Kim SYH. Parity Arguments for 'Physician Aid-in-Dying' (PAD) for Psychiatric Disorders: Their Structure and Limits. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS : AJOB 2019; 19:3-7. [PMID: 31557116 DOI: 10.1080/15265161.2019.1659606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
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24
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[Looking into international journals]. ZEITSCHRIFT FUR PSYCHOSOMATISCHE MEDIZIN UND PSYCHOTHERAPIE 2019; 65:304-306. [PMID: 31476989 DOI: 10.13109/zptm.2019.65.3.304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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25
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Vásquez JJ, Hunt PW. Participating in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Cure Research at the End of Life. Clin Infect Dis 2019; 69:1068-1070. [PMID: 30715193 PMCID: PMC6736147 DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciz070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Peter W Hunt
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco
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26
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Jansen LA, Wall S, Miller FG. Drawing the line on physician-assisted death. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ETHICS 2019; 45:190-197. [PMID: 30463933 DOI: 10.1136/medethics-2018-105003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2018] [Revised: 10/10/2018] [Accepted: 10/27/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Drawing the line on physician assistance in physician-assisted death (PAD) continues to be a contentious issue in many legal jurisdictions across the USA, Canada and Europe. PAD is a medical practice that occurs when physicians either prescribe or administer lethal medication to their patients. As more legal jurisdictions establish PAD for at least some class of patients, the question of the proper scope of this practice has become pressing. This paper presents an argument for restricting PAD to the terminally ill that can be accepted by defenders as well as critics of PAD for the terminally ill. The argument appeals to fairness-based paternalism and the social meaning of medical practice. These two considerations interact in various ways, as the paper explains. The right way to think about the social meaning of medical practice bears on fair paternalism as it relates to PAD and vice versa. The paper contends that these considerations have substantial force when directed against proposals to extend PAD to non-terminally ill patients, but considerably less force when directed against PAD for the terminally ill. The paper pays special attention to the case of non-terminally ill patients who suffer from treatment-resistant depression, as these patients present a potentially strong case for extending PAD beyond the terminally ill.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lynn A Jansen
- The Center for Ethics in Health Care, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA
| | - Steven Wall
- Philosophy, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
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27
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Jones RM, Simpson AIF. Medical Assistance in Dying: Challenges for Psychiatry. Front Psychiatry 2018; 9:678. [PMID: 30618860 PMCID: PMC6295549 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2018] [Accepted: 11/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Roland M Jones
- Complex Care and Recovery Program, Forensic Division, Division of Forensic Psychiatry, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Alexander I F Simpson
- Complex Care and Recovery Program, Forensic Division, Division of Forensic Psychiatry, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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