Monica Verhofstadt1, Koen Pardon2, Kurt Audenaert3, Luc Deliens4, Freddy Mortier5, Axel Liégeois6, Kenneth Chambaere7. 1. Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) & Ghent University, End-of-life Care Research Group, Brussels, Belgium. Electronic address: monica.verhofstadt@vub.be. 2. Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) & Ghent University, End-of-life Care Research Group, Brussels, Belgium. Electronic address: koen.pardon@vub.be. 3. Department of Psychiatry, Ghent University Hospital, Belgium. Electronic address: kurt.audenaert@ugent.be. 4. Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) & Ghent University, End-of-life Care Research Group, Brussels, Belgium. 5. Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) & Ghent University, End-of-life Care Research Group, Brussels, Belgium; Bioethics Institute Ghent, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: luc.deliens@vub.be. 6. Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, KU Leuven, Louvain, Belgium; Organisation Brothers of Charity, Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: axel.liegeois@kuleuven.be. 7. Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) & Ghent University, End-of-life Care Research Group, Brussels, Belgium. Electronic address: kenneth.chambaere@ugent.be.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: As the empirical picture of adults with psychiatric conditions (further referred to as 'patients') requesting euthanasia is still incomplete, this study aims to deepen our understanding of why these patients request euthanasia, how this relates to the option of suicide, and what could have prevented these patients from considering death and requesting euthanasia. METHODS: A qualitative study using in-depth, face-to-face interviews was conducted with 16 patients who had their euthanasia request under assessment in the period 2016-2020. Thematic coding was used. FINDINGS: Most patients were in a state of feeling emotionally worn-out as a result of the many accumulated misfortunes and setbacks, leading to the all-pervasive sense that life is no longer worth living. Whereas some patients reported lifelong adversity, others struggled predominantly in later life. Whereas some patients longed for death strongly, others expressed ambivalence towards death ideation, and some even requested euthanasia to hear of their ineligibility for it, to restore hope and to (re)find meaning in life. patients valued euthanasia over suicide as being more dignified and acceptable, both for themselves and for their inner circle. With regard to preventive factors, patients posited the need for improved accessibility and quality of mental healthcare, as well as a profound change in society's perception of, and support for, these patients. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed the many complexities of euthanasia in the context of psychiatry, due to the many differences in patients' background characteristics, in their motives for requesting euthanasia, and the multi-layered aspects of mental suffering that go beyond the field of psychiatry.
OBJECTIVE: As the empirical picture of adults with psychiatric conditions (further referred to as 'patients') requesting euthanasia is still incomplete, this study aims to deepen our understanding of why these patients request euthanasia, how this relates to the option of suicide, and what could have prevented these patients from considering death and requesting euthanasia. METHODS: A qualitative study using in-depth, face-to-face interviews was conducted with 16 patients who had their euthanasia request under assessment in the period 2016-2020. Thematic coding was used. FINDINGS: Most patients were in a state of feeling emotionally worn-out as a result of the many accumulated misfortunes and setbacks, leading to the all-pervasive sense that life is no longer worth living. Whereas some patients reported lifelong adversity, others struggled predominantly in later life. Whereas some patients longed for death strongly, others expressed ambivalence towards death ideation, and some even requested euthanasia to hear of their ineligibility for it, to restore hope and to (re)find meaning in life. patients valued euthanasia over suicide as being more dignified and acceptable, both for themselves and for their inner circle. With regard to preventive factors, patients posited the need for improved accessibility and quality of mental healthcare, as well as a profound change in society's perception of, and support for, these patients. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed the many complexities of euthanasia in the context of psychiatry, due to the many differences in patients' background characteristics, in their motives for requesting euthanasia, and the multi-layered aspects of mental suffering that go beyond the field of psychiatry.