How do you feel about physician-assisted suicide ?

It is legal where I live, with very specific guidelines; it has to be part of the person’s advance directive, but the person must be terminally ill and facing death within a relatively short amount of time.

Some people want to extend its reach to emotional or mental illnesses, like clinical depression. Occasionally I’ve seen people here express support for including such conditions.

I always want to ask them, "would you be okay if it were your child or a young person you care about who wanted a doctor to help them suicide due to depression ?"

Because I know that would break my heart and I would be trying to save my niece or my godchildren in that instance. 😭

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Neoerectus · M

I remember a story of a friend of a friend, who had fought extreme depression their entire life. They exercised this option. Those who knew her agreed it was a mercy.

We tend to think of depression, etc. as mental/mind/ether illness. Given it is based on physical brain chemistry, it is still a physical disease.

Also granted is that depression, etc. can be triggered by external factors which overloads the cortisol, etc. systems. Those with deep knowledge of biochem in the body can help with nutriceuticals. Gut bacteria-biome is recognized as a component as well.

I think it should be an option, but it must be considered very carefully.