Mark Komrad: Physician Assisted Suicide a Difficult Topic for Psychiatrists

For many psychiatrists one of their biggest challenges in their daily practice is working to show patients that suicide is not the solution to their problems. Changes in the criteria for physician assisted suicide in Europe which include allowing mental illness as a criteria can fly in the face of that mission.

Speaking at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association, Mark S. Komrad, MD, from the Sheppard Pratt Healthy Systems said psychiatrists are being put in a very difficult position in Europe which is why there is already work to ensure that similar laws are not enacted in the United States and other countries around the world. Komrad said these changes "stand those fundamental purposes on its head," to have suicide as an option in treatment plans for patients with mental illness.

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