Doctor shudders for euthanasia in dementia – Telegraaf.nl

Doctor shudders for euthanasia in dementia – Telegraaf.nl

AMSTERDAM –

If someone has cancer or another serious condition doctors call assisted suicide certainly conceivable. In patients with mental health problems or dementia see significantly fewer doctors are to commit euthanasia. According to a survey of 1456 physicians in the Netherlands, conducted by VU University Medical Center in collaboration with the AMC and Erasmus MC

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The research was published Wednesday in the Journal of Medical Ethics. Although the survey in 2011 was conducted among general practitioners, specialists in geriatric medicine and hospital specialists, the results obtained by the researchers are still representative.

A large majority of physicians, 86 percent, is willing to perform euthanasia. This is especially true for general practitioners (93 percent) and specialists in geriatric medicine (87 percent) and to a lesser extent for hospital specialists (74 percent).

There is a clear distinction in the willingness among the disorders a patient . 27 percent of physicians would grant a request for euthanasia of someone suffering from life, about a third would with someone with a psychiatric condition, four in ten in someone with early dementia and 29 percent for someone with advanced dementia. In return, more than eight out of ten doctors would be willing to commit euthanasia if someone has a serious physical illness such as cancer.

One reason that doctors have more trouble with the possible implementation of euthanasia for people with mental complaints, according to the study is questionable whether suffering is unbearable. In people with dementia is the show even more difficult or there is suffering, because there can not be properly communicated.

In 2012, established-Life Clinic, so after this survey was conducted, everyone gets year more euthanasia requests from people with mental health problems because the GP does not want to honor the request. 1035 people had last year with a request for euthanasia reported, little more than a third because of a psychiatric disorder. Seventeen psychiatric patients eventually got help with suicide

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