Table 2 Psychiatrists’ attitudes toward euthanasia in general and in psychiatry
Attitude statements | Response in N/%a | Combined percentages | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Totally disagree | Disagree | Neutral | Agree | Totally agree | Agree + Totally agree | |
St1: Euthanasia should only be legally allowed for the terminally ill. | 40 21.7% | 70 38.0% | 19 10.3% | 32 17.4% | 23 12.5% | 55 29.9% |
St2: Euthanasia should be legally allowed for the non-terminally ill, but only when based on somatic illnesses. | 53 28.8% | 91 49.5% | 20 10.9% | 13 7.1% | 7 3.8% | 20 10.9% |
St3: Euthanasia should remain legally allowed for patients with psychiatric illnesses. | 17 9.2% | 19 10.3% | 11 6.0% | 68 37.0% | 69 37.5% | 137 74.5% |
St4: A psychiatric patient can suffer unbearably. | 2 1.1% | 1 0.5% | 7 3.8% | 37 20.1% | 137 74.5% | 174 94.6% |
St5: A psychiatric patient’s death request can be well considered, and not only considered as a symptom of the patient’s psychopathology. | 4 2.2% | 8 4.3% | 10 5.4% | 92 50.0% | 70 38.0% | 162 88% |
St6: A psychiatric patient can find herself in a medically hopeless situation. | 5 2.7% | 9 4.9% | 16 8.7% | 67 36.4% | 87 47.3% | 154 83.7% |
St7: For a psychiatric patient, a lack of reasonable treatment perspectives can exist. | 2 1.1% | 23 12.5% | 17 9.2% | 76 41.3% | 66 35.9% | 142 77.2% |
St8: Euthanasia assessment in psychiatric patients is compatible with a psychotherapeutic relationship. | 26 14.1% | 31 16.8% | 30 16.3% | 60 32.6% | 37 20.1% | 97 52.7% |
St9: During the assessment of a psychiatric patient’s euthanasia request, potentially effective therapeutic treatment options should be taken into account. | 7 3.8% | 34 18.5% | 36 19.6% | 74 40.2% | 33 17.9% | 107 58.1% |
St10: During the assessment of a psychiatric patient’s euthanasia request, the focus should not only be placed on the patient’s medical condition, but also on the patient’s whole life context. | 6 3.3% | 10 5.4% | 19 10.3% | 77 41.8% | 72 39.1% | 149 80.9% |
St11: Euthanasia is an acceptable alternative to prevent for suicide.b | 35 19.1% | 33 18.0% | 35 19.1% | 64 35.0% | 16 8.7% | 80 43.7% |
St12: In psychiatric patients, physician-assisted suicide (physician provides the lethal drugs to the patient who then self-administers it) is more acceptable than euthanasia (physician administers the lethal drugs to the patient). | 36 19.6% | 41 22.3% | 49 26.6% | 46 25.0% | 12 6.5% | 58 31.5% |
St13: In some cases, there is mention of psychiatric euthanasia assessment that was too lightly dealth with.c | 2 1.1% | 16 8.7% | 39 21.3% | 66 36.1% | 60 32.8% | 126 68.9% |