[Comments on a case of physician-assisted suicide of a patient with an organic psychiatric disorder]

Abstract

Well-documented case histories concerning the role of physicians in assisted suicide are rarely published in medical journals even in the Netherlands; this applies in particular if the patient's suffering is mainly due to a psychiatric disorder. In this issue physician-assisted suicide is described in a patient suffering from a psycho-organic disorder. The case illustrates the problems the attending physician encountered in his decision-making process against the background of the actual professional views and the legal regulations in the Netherlands. When the doctor's considerations as well as his actions are discussed with reference to the official criteria and regulations, the conclusion is that notwithstanding some minor procedural inconsistencies, he acted in accordance with the accepted medical, ethical, and legal standards in this country.