Psychiatric review is mandatory in Australia

摘要

Ganzini and colleagues'finding that 3 of the 18 Oregonians who received a prescription for a lethal drug met caseness criteria for depression raises concerns about the state's Death with Dignity Act, which demands a psychiatric review only if "concern exists that the patient has a psychiatric disorder." We know that depression is common in the terminally ill and that depression may be successfully treated in this population. We know that depression may impair a person's capacity when requesting physician assisted suicide, and we know that non-psychiatrically trained physicians are poor at detecting depression. We also know that these four facts are true for delirium in patients who are terminally ill.