PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Depression and personality disorders drive psych patients to euthanasia

Most common diagnoses among those requesting help to die, due to unbearable suffering

2015-07-28
(Press-News.org) Depression and personality disorders are the most common diagnoses among Belgian psychiatric patients requesting help to die, on the grounds of unbearable suffering, finds research published in the online journal BMJ Open.

Drugs, given either by mouth or administered intravenously, are used to perform euthanasia in Belgium, where the practice has been legal since 2002.

The researchers wanted to find out if there were any discernible patterns in requests for euthanasia among mentally ill patients in Belgium in a bid to inform recommendations for future research.

So they tracked requests for help to die, made by patients receiving treatment for psychiatric problems in outpatient clinics in the Dutch speaking part of Belgium between 2007 and 2011, and followed up to the end of 2012.

During this period, 77 women and 23 men asked for euthanasia on the grounds of unbearable suffering associated with mental illness. Their average age was 47, but this ranged from 21 to 80.

Most (91) of the patients had been referred for counselling. Seventy three had been deemed medically unfit to work, and 59 were living alone.

Ninety had more than one mental health issue, with depression (58 patients) the most frequent diagnosis, followed by personality disorder (50).

Thirty eight patients required further tests and/or treatment, 13 of whom were specifically tested for autistic spectrum disorders. Twelve were subsequently diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a form of high functioning autism.

In all, 48 of the requests were accepted, and 35 carried out. Among the remaining 13, eight cancelled or delayed the procedure on the grounds that simply having the option gave them enough peace of mind to continue living.

By December 2012, 43 of the patients had died, including six who had taken their own lives. Among this group, one patient committed suicide because she found the approvals process too long, while another did so because her family had objected to euthanasia. A third woman killed herself after a spell in a psychiatric ward.

Another had died as a result of palliative sedation by the end of 2012, and one had died of the eating disorder, anorexia nervosa.

Thirty patients died surrounded by family/friends, and in a serene and positive atmosphere, "which would have been impossible to attain in the case of unassisted traumatic suicide," note the authors.

In 2010 and 2011, 2086 patients died by euthanasia in Belgium, accounting for 1% of all deaths during that period, with those who were not terminally ill making up less than 10% of the total.

But as yet, there is no consensus on what constitutes 'unbearable suffering,' nor are there any guidelines in Belgium on how best to deal with requests for help to die from those who are mentally ill, say the researchers.

"Taking into account the ongoing fierce ethical debates, it is essential to develop such guidelines, and translate them into clear and detailed protocols that can be applied in practice," they conclude.

INFORMATION:



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Placebo delivery method affects patient response

2015-07-28
1. Placebo delivery method affects patient response to "therapy" Free abstract: http://www.annals.org/article.aspx?doi=10.7326/M15-0623 URLs go live when embargo lifts A systematic evidence review published in Annals of Internal Medicine finds that the way in which a placebo is delivered makes a difference in how patients respond to "therapy." Having a clinically significant response to the sham treatment could substantially affect outcomes in placebo-controlled trials. The data suggests that some placebos have a stronger effect than others. Placebo controls, ...

Clinical validation for LOXO-101 against TRK fusion cancer

Clinical validation for LOXO-101 against TRK fusion cancer
2015-07-28
The University of Colorado Cancer Center and Loxo Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq:LOXO), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of targeted cancer therapies, today announced the publication of a research brief in the online edition of the journal Cancer Discovery, describing the first patient with a tropomyosin receptor kinase (TRK) fusion cancer enrolled in the Phase 1 dose escalation trial of LOXO-101, the only selective TRK inhibitor in clinical development. Additional contributors to the paper include the Knight Cancer Institute ...

Reshaping the solar spectrum to turn light to electricity

Reshaping the solar spectrum to turn light to electricity
2015-07-28
RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- When it comes to installing solar cells, labor cost and the cost of the land to house them constitute the bulk of the expense. The solar cells -- made often of silicon or cadmium telluride -- rarely cost more than 20 percent of the total cost. Solar energy could be made cheaper if less land had to be purchased to accommodate solar panels, best achieved if each solar cell could be coaxed to generate more power. A huge gain in this direction has now been made by a team of chemists at the University of California, Riverside that has found an ingenious ...

One in 4 patients with defibrillators experiences boost in heart function over time

2015-07-27
A Johns Hopkins-led study of outcomes among 1,200 people with implanted defibrillators -- devices intended to prevent sudden cardiac death from abnormal heart rhythms -- shows that within a few years of implantation, one in four experienced improvements in heart function substantial enough to put them over the clinical threshold that qualified them to get a defibrillator in the first place. A report on the study, published in the Aug. 4 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, reveals these patients had markedly lower risk of dying and were far less ...

In CRISPR advance, scientists successfully edit human T cells

2015-07-27
In a project spearheaded by investigators at UC San Francisco, scientists have devised a new strategy to precisely modify human T cells using the genome-editing system known as CRISPR/Cas9. Because these immune-system cells play important roles in a wide range of diseases, from diabetes to AIDS to cancer, the achievement provides a versatile new tool for research on T cell function, as well as a path toward CRISPR/Cas9-based therapies for many serious health problems. Using their novel approach, the scientists were able to disable a protein on the T-cell surface called ...

Gene therapy may improve survival of patients with recurrent ovarian cancer

2015-07-27
Use of gene therapy to deliver a protein that suppresses the development of female reproductive organs may improve the survival of patients with ovarian cancer that has recurred after chemotherapy, which happens 70 percent of the time and is invariably fatal. In their report receiving online publication in PNAS Early Edition, a Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) research team describes how a single injection of a modified version of Mullerian Inhibiting Substance, a protein critical to sexual development, carried on a commonly used viral vector suppressed the growth ...

Narrowing in on pituitary tumors

2015-07-27
As many as 20 percent of people may have a benign cyst or tumor in their pituitary gland. The vast majority of pituitary tumors are noncancerous, but can cause headaches and profound fatigue, and can also disrupt hormone function. Currently, surgeons rely on radiologic images and MRIs to gather information about the size and shape of the tumor, but the resolution of such imaging technologies is limited, and additional surgeries to remove more of the tumor may be needed if a patient's symptoms persist. In a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy ...

Greenhouse gas source underestimated from the US Corn Belt, University of Minnesota-led study shows

2015-07-27
Estimates of how much nitrous oxide, a significant greenhouse gas and stratospheric ozone-depleting substance, is being emitted in the central United States have been too low by as much as 40 percent, a new study led by University of Minnesota scientists shows. The study, published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, measured how much nitrous oxide is emitted from streams in an agriculturally dense area in southern Minnesota. Agriculture, and specifically nitrogen fertilizers used in row-crop farming, is a major contributor to nitrous ...

Mobile stroke treatment units may greatly improve survival rates, chance of recovery for ischemic stroke patients

2015-07-27
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. - July 27, 2015 - Two new studies presented today at the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery 12th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, report that Mobile Stroke Treatment Units (MSTUs) can significantly reduce the time it takes to diagnose and treat patients for stroke, greatly improving survival rates and enhancing a patient's chance of recovery. There are currently four MSTUs in use worldwide. Two are in Germany and two are in the United States (U.S.) - one in Cleveland and one in Houston. MSTUs resemble ambulances on the outside, but contain ...

Compulsory schooling laws could bolster free community college argument

2015-07-27
LAWRENCE -- Providing two years of free community college to qualifying students is expected to be a hot topic during the 2016 presidential campaign. President Barack Obama introduced the plan earlier this year, aimed at boosting educational attainment and workforce opportunities of thousands of students -- especially those from low-income families. Support for expanded education is not the purview of one party, however; President George W. Bush also frequently referenced the significance of two-year colleges. Tennessee and Oregon are offering free community college to ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Less intensive works best for agricultural soil

Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation

Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests

Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome

UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership

New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll

Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes

University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025

Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025

AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials

New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age

Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker

Chips off the old block

Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia

Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry

Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19

Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity

State and sociodemographic trends in US cigarette smoking with future projections

Young adults drive historic decline in smoking

NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research

Chimpanzee stem cells offer new insights into early embryonic development

This injected protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a heart attack

FlexTech inaugural issue launches, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation in flexible technology

In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity

Methyl eugenol: potential to inhibit oxidative stress, address related diseases, and its toxicological effects

A vascularized multilayer chip reveals shear stress-induced angiogenesis in diverse fluid conditions

AI helps unravel a cause of Alzheimer's disease and identify a therapeutic candidate

Coalition of Autism Scientists critiques US Department of Health and Human Services Autism Research Initiative

Structure dictates effectiveness, safety in nanomedicine

Mission accomplished for the “T2T” Hong Kong Bauhinia Genome Project

[Press-News.org] Depression and personality disorders drive psych patients to euthanasia
Most common diagnoses among those requesting help to die, due to unbearable suffering