Psychologists' Involvement with Terminally Ill Individuals Who are Making End-of-Life Decisions

Werth, James L.; Lewis, Mary Miller; Richmond, Jessica M.

doi:10.1080/15228930802427130

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…None of the countries or states that have legalised PAD and/or euthanasia have incorporated policies requiring psychological or psychiatric reviews in all cases of requests for assisted dying, although it has been recommended several times over the years by several different studies and reviews on the topic. [20][21][22] In all cases, it is deemed the patient should display mental capacity and competence, but there isn't a requirement for them to be assessed by psychiatrists or psychologists to confirm this capacity and competence.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assisted dying in the terminally ill: an evaluation of views on euthanasia

Duxbury¹

2019

J Radiother Pract

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Introduction:The purpose of this study was to evaluate views and attitudes concerning the legality of assisted death and euthanasia in the UK and to identify the circumstances in which individuals would or would not consider assisted death.Materials and methods:The views of a sample of the general population in the UK were sought through the use of a mixed methods questionnaire open to the public for 3 weeks.Results:The responses of 117 participants were analysed using an SPSS MANOVA statistical test for quantitative data and an in-depth content coding analysis for qualitative responses.Discussion:The majority of respondents, 85·5%, believed that Physician-Assisted Death (PAD) should be legalised in the UK and that individuals should be able to choose when, 88%, and where, 88·9%, they die. Qualitative analysis revealed that more people would consider a PAD for a severe physical terminal illness over mental illness. There was no statistical significance for variables for quantitative data when considering overall demographics, professional and educational backgrounds of the respondents.Conclusion:The majority of respondents in this study indicated that they believe assisted suicide should be made legal and that the option should be available for those who are terminally ill. Views indicated that if assisted dying was legal, it would allow terminally ill patients to die with dignity and without prolonging pain.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assisted dying in the terminally ill: an evaluation of views on euthanasia

Duxbury¹

2019

J Radiother Pract

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“…Such evidence could be that clients' decision-making abilities are at the time impaired by substances (including prescribed medication) or their mental conditions. A desire to die is not indicative of a mental disorder (Werth, 1996), nor is the presence of pathology or treatment proof that clients cannot make lawful decisions (Werth, Lewis, & Richmond, 2009). There must be evidence that clients' abilities to understand the risks and benefits of their decisions; reason logically (i.e., the conclusion follows from the prepositions) and sustain decisions are compromised .…”

Section: Clients Who Desire To Diementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Assessors must be good diagnosticians (Werth et al, 2009) because terminally-ill clients can present with symptoms (e.g., of depression) associated with their medication or physical disorders (e.g., end-stage renal disease; Christensen & Ehlers, 2002). Psychologists should follow relevant legal criteria (e.g., Voluntary Assisted Dying Act, 2017) or in their absence frameworks generally accepted in the profession.…”

Section: Decision Making Assessmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethical issues when working with terminally ill people who desire to hasten the ends of their lives: a western perspective

Allan

2019

Ethics & Behavior

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Terminally-ill people might want to discuss the options they have of hastening their deaths with their psychologists who should therefore know the law that regulates euthanasia in the jurisdictions where they practice. The legal, and therefore ethical, situation that influences psychologists' position and terminally-ill people's options, however, differs notably across jurisdictions. Our aim is to provide a brief moral-legal historical context that explains how the law reform processes in different jurisdictions created these different legal contexts and options that in turn influence psychologists' ethical position. We conclude by considering eight specific ethical issues at a conceptual level that might confront psychologists irrespective of where they practise.

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“…In both areas, psychologists have relevant skills, but may lack specific training in their applicability to palliative care. Furthermore, psychologists may have their own personal beliefs, opinions, experiences, attitudes, and areas of discomfort that can affect their interactions with people who are dying (Johnson et al, 2014; Werth, Lewis, & Richmond, 2009). These may be particularly salient when discussing the controversial practice of MAiD.…”

Section: Psychologists and Maidmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological aspects of medical assistance in dying: A personal reflection.

Wilson

2018

Canadian Psychology / Psychologie canadienne

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Bill C-14 introduces a new era in end-of-life care by permitting death to be hastened through medical assistance in dying (MAiD). This article reviews those aspects of MAiD that are of particular relevance to psychologists, as seen through the perspective of the author's research. It includes a brief overview of the major legal cases that led the Supreme Court of Canada to overturn the laws against assisted suicide. It addresses such issues as the prevalence of the desire for death in the terminally ill, reasons for requesting MAiD, the concept of "intolerable suffering," and the association between MAiD, depression, and suicide. Findings from the Canadian National Palliative Care Survey are highlighted, which document the attitudes of patients receiving palliative care for cancer. Data from the Netherlands, Belgium, and Oregon are also reviewed briefly and contrasted; differences in the incidence of MAiD in these jurisdictions point to the im-portance of permitting MAiD to be provided by clinicians (euthanasia) rather than requiring patients to self-administer lethal medication (assisted suicide). It is concluded that Bill C-14 aligns with the opinions expressed by the majority of terminally ill participants in the National Palliative Care Survey. It remains to be seen whether new legal challenges will lead to the extension of MAiD to other patient groups.

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Psychologists' Involvement with Terminally Ill Individuals Who are Making End-of-Life Decisions

Cited by 8 publications

References 21 publications

Assisted dying in the terminally ill: an evaluation of views on euthanasia

Assisted dying in the terminally ill: an evaluation of views on euthanasia

Ethical issues when working with terminally ill people who desire to hasten the ends of their lives: a western perspective

Psychological aspects of medical assistance in dying: A personal reflection.

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