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Review
. 2015 Aug;41(8):577-83.
doi: 10.1136/medethics-2014-102458. Epub 2015 May 2.

Treatment-resistant major depressive disorder and assisted dying

Udo Schuklenk  1 , Suzanne van de Vathorst  2
Affiliations
Review

Treatment-resistant major depressive disorder and assisted dying

Udo Schuklenk et al. J Med Ethics. 2015 Aug.

Abstract

Competent patients suffering from treatment-resistant depressive disorder should be treated no different in the context of assisted dying to other patients suffering from chronic conditions that render their lives permanently not worth living to them. Jurisdictions that are considering, or that have, decriminalised assisted dying are discriminating unfairly against patients suffering from treatment-resistant depression if they exclude such patients from the class of citizens entitled to receive assistance in dying.

Keywords: Euthanasia; Mentally Ill and Disabled Persons; Psychiatry; Suicide/Assisted Suicide.

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