Perceived Burdensomeness and the Wish for Hastened Death in Persons With Severe and Persistent Mental Illness

Background: In several European countries, medical assistance in dying (MAID) is no longer confined to persons with a terminal prognosis but also available those suffering from persistent and unbearable mental illness. To date, scholarly discourse on MAID this population has been dominated by issues such as decision-making capacity, uncertainty when disease incurable, stigmatization, isolation, loneliness. However, the issue of perceived burdensomeness received little attention. Objective: The study explores possible impact requests for among severe illness (SPMI). Method: Using method ethical argumentation, we discuss access SPMI burdensomeness. Conclusion: Perceived may be contributing factor wish hastened death SPMI. ethically unsupportable if causes individual make an unrealistic assessment burdensomeness, indicating lack capacity context that request. possibility some individuals perceive does not mean they should routinely excluded MAID. For patients intact who feel their life worth living, component intolerable sufficient reason deny