Motives for refusing to be engaged in psychiatric euthanasia proceduresa | |
1. Fundamental motives | |
Fundamental objections against euthanasia regarding psychiatric patients (ethical, moral, deontological reasons) | |
Euthanasia is incompatible with therapeutic relationship, but should be topic for further exploration in life track | |
Physicians should never give the sign to the patient of giving up hope | |
Law needs to be re-examined as criteria are unclear or need to be further restricted for this patient group | |
In that specific time, the euthanasia law was not yet effective | |
2. Ineligibility of the patient’s euthanasia request | |
Treatment options were still left, including non-medical treatment | |
Substantive legal criteria were not fulfilled | |
Personality disorder as contra-indication | |
3. Complex circumstances | |
Patient’s complex family situation | |
Patient’s young age | |
Not enough knowledge on the patient and her situation | |
Not enough competence to get actively involved | |
4. Experience of rehabilitation with former patients with withdrawn request | |
Motives for accepting to be engaged in euthanasia procedures concerning psychiatric patientsa | |
1. Fundamental motives | |
Fundamental right of the patient to ask for euthanasia | |
Fundamental task of the psychiatrist to take and discuss the request seriously | |
Opportunity to keep on searching for underlying meaning request and treatment options | |
2. Eligibility of the patient’s euthanasia request | |
Unbearable and untreatable suffering do exist | |
Specific task of the psychiatrist to be involved in the assessment | |
The euthanasia request is always based on misfortunes in many more domains in life |