Citation

Gather J, Vollmann J. Nervenheilkd. 2015; 34(6): 430-435.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Georg Thieme Verlag)

DOI

10.1055/s-0038-1627422

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In the current public debate on physician-assisted suicide it is argued that medical assistance in the suicide of a patient contravenes the tasks and aims of suicide prevention and therefore should be rejected. In an ethical analysis we first point out the normatively relevant differences between the cases of suicides of patients with severe mental disorders or people in acute psychosocial crisis situations who lack mental capacity versus the rare cases in which competent patients suffering from severe and incurable diseases express the wish to kill themselves. Against this background we argue that suicide prevention and physician-assisted suicide are not necessarily a contradiction. Instead of rejecting physician-assisted suicide as illegitimate under all circumstances, psychiatrists should rather introduce their specialized knowledge about suicidality and assessment of mental capacity into the ethical debate and seek an interdisciplinary exchange with other medical disciplines (especially that of palliative care). © Schattauer 2015.

Language: de

Keywords

human; suicide; health education; assisted suicide; knowledge; Suicide prevention; suicidal behavior; disease severity; medical ethics; mental disease; psychiatrist; palliative therapy; mental capacity; patient attitude; physician attitude; Physician-assisted suicide; psychosocial disorder; medical care; Article; Medical ethics; Mental capacity; physician assisted suicide