Citation

Kelly BD. Br. J. Psychiatry 2017; 211(4): 248-249.

Affiliation

Brendan D. Kelly, MB, BCh, BAO, MA, MSc, MA, MA, MD, PhD DGov, PhD, CPsychol, FRCPI, FRCPsych, FTCD, Department of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, Tallaght Hospital, Dublin D24 NR0A, Ireland. Email: brendan.kelly@tcd.ie.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Royal College of Psychiatry)

DOI

10.1192/bjp.bp.117.199695

PMID

28970304

Abstract

Euthanasia is available in Belgium and Luxembourg for untreatable and unbearable suffering resulting from 'physical and/or psychological suffering that cannot be alleviated and results from a serious and incurable disease, caused by accident or illness'. Verhofstadt et al's valuable analysis of testimonials from psychiatric patients requesting euthanasia demonstrates that elements of this suffering might well be alleviated. We should not kill our patients.

© The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2017.

Language: en