Wednesday, October 08, 2014

Euthanasia for "Intractable" Mental Disorders?



Today's post is by ClinkShrink and is over at our  Clinical Psychiatry News site.  She discusses the case of a Belgium prisoner who wants to be euthanized for his intractable psychiatric illness, and she wonders if that might Antisocial Personality Disorder. 

While I'm sending you places, let me also suggest PsychPractice where there's a discussion about an App called "Pager"  in New York that lets you get instant home visits --within two hours -- from a doctor.  Being one to push the envelope, PsychPractice asked about gynecology and psychiatry home visits.  Personally, I think it's a great idea -- quick, in home consult to get someone started in care rather then waiting weeks for an outpatient appointment with a psychiatrist,  or sitting for hours in an ER.  Could we prevent hospitalizations this way?  Or would there just be more when very sick or very dangerous people who might otherwise let it pass, instead called for a consult? 

3 comments:

moviedoc said...

Competent adults have a right to decide whether to live or die.

Anonymous said...

I am sorry to hear that the value of human life is dropping so quickly. To my mind, any life, even one affected by physical or mental illness, is a precious thing. If we devalue human life by making the ill or the criminal disposable, we devalue ourselves as well.

Arby said...

Competent adults have a right to decide whether to live or die.

Yes. And no right to involve others.