["Assisted Suicide"-A Case Report on Assisted Suicide in the Context of Mental Illnesses]

Abstract

Since January 2022, assisted suicide has also been legal in Austria under certain legally specified conditions. According to the Constitutional Court, the previous legislation did not align with the "right to self-determination" and was therefore declared unconstitutional [1]. In contrast, countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium, and Switzerland have had a less restrictive legislation on assisted suicide for a longer period of time. The requirement for submitting a request for assisted suicide is that the patient suffers from a terminal illness and that both their decision-making capacity and free will are ensured [1]. This case report of a 47-year-old patient, who suffered from recurrent depressive disorder with a current severe episode and, after two previous suicide attempts, chose assisted suicide in Switzerland, aims to highlight the ethical and legal challenges associated with assisted suicide for psychiatric patients and to emphasize the need for careful consideration between autonomy and the duty of protection.

Keywords: Assisted suicide; Case report; Legislation; Medical ethics; Mental illnesses.

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Zeitlicher Verlauf der Medikamentenänderungen und EKT-Behandlungen ab stationärer Aufnahme

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MADRS Gesamtpunktezahl der Patientin Prä- und Post-EKT

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Erreichte Punkte der Patientin bei den einzelnen Items des MADRS Prä- und Post-EKT

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Anzahl der Suizide in Österreich in absoluten Zahlen [15]

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Suizide und assistierte Suizide in Schweiz in absoluten Zahlen aufgeteilt hinsichtlich Geschlecht [–18]